Amenazar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

amenazar means "to threaten" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Amenazar takes a person as its object and often adds con + infinitive or noun for the threat: amenazar con irse, amenazar a alguien con una denuncia. It can also threaten things in the abstract sense, as in amenazar la paz. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of amenazar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the amenazar present tense page.

amenazar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
  2. Mi amigo amenaza con irse de la casa — "My friend threatens to leave the house"
  3. Mañana, tú amenazarás la paz del barrio — "Tomorrow, you will threaten the peace of the neighbourhood"
  4. Yo amenazaría con despedir a todos si pudiera — "I would threaten to dismiss everyone if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo amenacé a su vecino con una denuncia — "Yesterday, I threatened his neighbour with a complaint"
  2. Antes, nosotros amenazábamos con irse de la casa — "Before, we used to threaten to leave the house"
  3. Él ha amenazado la paz del barrio — "He has threatened the peace of the neighbourhood"
  4. Yo ya había amenazado con despedir a todos antes de salir — "I already had threatened to dismiss everyone before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él amenace a su vecino con una denuncia — "I hope he threatens his neighbour with a complaint"
  2. Si yo amenazara con irse de la casa, todo cambiaría — "If I threatened to leave the house, everything would change"
  3. Amenaza la paz del barrio. — "Threaten the peace of the neighbourhood."
  4. Yo habría amenazado con despedir a todos con más tiempo — "I would have threatened to dismiss everyone with more time"

amenazar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use amenazar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
  • Marcos: Él amenaza con irse de la casa — "He threatens to leave the house"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo amenacé la paz del barrio — "Yesterday, I threatened the peace of the neighbourhood"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú amenazarás con despedir a todos — "Tomorrow, you will threaten to dismiss everyone"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Amenaza al testigo en el juicio. — "Threaten the witness at the trial."
  • Lucía: Él ha amenazado a su vecino con una denuncia — "He has threatened his neighbour with a complaint"
  • Marcos: Espero que él amenace con irse de la casa — "I hope he threatens to leave the house"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo amenazaba la paz del barrio — "Before, I used to threaten the peace of the neighbourhood"

Common mistakes with amenazar

The errors learners actually make with amenazar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Ayer, yo amenazé al testigo en el juicio.

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo amenacé al testigo en el juicio.

The z of amenazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is amenacé, never amenazé.

✗ *Espero que él amenaza con despedir a todos

✓ Correct: Espero que él amenace con despedir a todos

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él amenace con despedir a todos — not the indicative Espero que él amenaza con despedir a todos.

✗ *Ayer, yo amenazo al testigo en el juicio

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo amenacé al testigo en el juicio

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo amenacé al testigo en el juicio.

✗ *De niño, yo amenacé a su vecino con una denuncia todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo amenazaba a su vecino con una denuncia todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo amenazaba a su vecino con una denuncia todos los días.

✗ *Yo amenazo en la paz del barrio.

✓ Correct: Yo amenazo la paz del barrio.

amenazar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo amenazo la paz del barrio.

Quiz: amenazar in use

Ten questions on amenazar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint" (present) A. amenazo B. amenazas C. amenaza D. amenazamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con irse de la casa — "Yesterday, I threatened to leave the house" (preterite) A. amenazó B. amenazamos C. amenacé D. amenazaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ la paz del barrio — "Before, we used to threaten the peace of the neighbourhood" (imperfect) A. amenazaba B. amenazabas C. amenazabais D. amenazábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ con despedir a todos — "Tomorrow, you will threaten to dismiss everyone" (future) A. amenazaremos B. amenazarás C. amenazaré D. amenazará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al testigo en el juicio — "I would threaten the witness at the trial" (conditional) A. amenazaríamos B. amenazaríais C. amenazaría D. amenazarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su vecino con una denuncia — "He has threatened his neighbour with a complaint" (present perfect) A. hemos amenazado B. ha amenazado C. he amenazado D. has amenazado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ con irse de la casa — "I hope he threatens to leave the house" (present subjunctive) A. amenacéis B. amenace C. amenaces D. amenacemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ la paz del barrio. — "Threaten the peace of the neighbourhood." (affirmative imperative) A. amenace B. amenacemos C. amenazad D. amenaza

  9. Which is the gerund of amenazar, used with estar for the progressive? A. amenazado B. amenazo C. amenacé D. amenazando

  10. What does amenazar mean in English? A. to cross B. to threaten C. to warn D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. amenazo — The present form for yo is amenazo.
  2. amenacé — The preterite form for yo is amenacé.
  3. amenazábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is amenazábamos.
  4. amenazarás — The future form for tú is amenazarás.
  5. amenazaría — The conditional form for yo is amenazaría.
  6. ha amenazado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha amenazado.
  7. amenace — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is amenace.
  8. amenaza — The affirmative imperative form is amenaza.
  9. amenazando — The gerund of amenazar is amenazando: estoy amenazando. The participle amenazado is used with haber instead.
  10. to threaten — amenazar means to threaten.

Frequently asked questions

What does amenazar mean in English?

amenazar means to threaten. For example: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with amenazar?

amenazar takes con before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with amenazar.

Is amenazar regular?

Almost. amenazar is a spelling-changing -ar verb. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is amenacé and the present subjunctive yo form is amenace.

How do I practise amenazar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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