Amenazar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of amenazar — "to threaten" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for amenazar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint".
Present tense conjugation table: amenazar
Every person of amenazar in the present tense. The gerund is amenazando and the past participle is amenazado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amenazo |
| tú | amenazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | amenaza |
| nosotros/as | amenazamos |
| vosotros/as | amenazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazan |
How the present of amenazar is formed
The present of amenazar is built from the stem amenaz- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | amenazo |
| tú | -as | amenazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | amenaza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | amenazamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | amenazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | amenazan |
The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is amenacé and the present subjunctive yo form is amenace.
The gerund of amenazar is amenazando and the past participle is amenazado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of amenazar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and amenazar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia" — "Every day, I threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo amenaza con irse de la casa" — "My friend threatens to leave the house"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo amenazo la paz del barrio" — "Right now, I threaten the peace of the neighbourhood"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros amenazamos con despedir a todos" — "Tomorrow, we threaten to dismiss everyone"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos amenazan al testigo en el juicio" — "They threaten the witness at the trial"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo amenacé a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threatened his neighbour with a complaint"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú amenazas con irse de la casa — "You threaten to leave the house"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú amenazabas con irse de la casa — "You used to threaten to leave the house"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él amenaza la paz del barrio — "He threatens the peace of the neighbourhood"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él amenazará la paz del barrio — "He will threaten the peace of the neighbourhood"
Examples: amenazar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show amenazar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
- Tú amenazas con irse de la casa — "You threaten to leave the house"
- Él amenaza la paz del barrio — "He threatens the peace of the neighbourhood"
- Nosotros amenazamos con despedir a todos — "We threaten to dismiss everyone"
- Vosotros amenazáis al testigo en el juicio — "You threaten the witness at the trial"
- Ellos amenazan a su vecino con una denuncia — "They threaten his neighbour with a complaint"
- Yo amenazo con irse de la casa — "I threaten to leave the house"
Common mistakes with amenazar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with amenazar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Ayer, yo amenazé a su vecino con una denuncia.
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo amenacé a su vecino con una denuncia.
The z of amenazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is amenacé, never amenazé.
✗ *Tú amenaza con irse de la casa.
✓ Correct: Tú amenazas con irse de la casa.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes amenazas, él takes amenaza.
✗ *Cada día, yo amenacé la paz del barrio
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo amenazo la paz del barrio
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros amenazais con despedir a todos.
✓ Correct: Vosotros amenazáis con despedir a todos.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: amenazáis, not amenazais.
Quiz: amenazar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of amenazar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of amenazar for tú? A. amenazamos B. amenazas C. amenazo D. amenaza
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
Complete the sentence: Él ______ con irse de la casa — "He threatens to leave the house" (present) A. amenazamos B. amenaza C. amenazo D. amenazas
Which is the correct present form of amenazar for nosotros? A. amenazamos B. amenazas C. amenaza D. amenazan
Which sentence uses amenazar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo amenazaba la paz del barrio B. Mi amigo amenazamos la paz del barrio C. Mi amigo amenaza la paz del barrio D. Mi amigo amenazas la paz del barrio
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ con despedir a todos — "You threaten to dismiss everyone" (present) A. amenazas B. amenaza C. amenazáis D. amenazo
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al testigo en el juicio — "They threaten the witness at the trial" (present) A. amenazan B. amenazo C. amenazas D. amenaza
What is the gerund of amenazar? A. amenazado B. amenazo C. amenacé D. amenazando
Answer key
- amenazas — The tú form in the present is amenazas.
- amenazo — The present form for yo is amenazo.
- amenaza — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is amenaza.
- amenazamos — The nosotros form in the present is amenazamos.
- Mi amigo amenaza la paz del barrio — Mi amigo amenaza la paz del barrio is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- amenazáis — The present form for vosotros/as is amenazáis.
- amenazan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is amenazan.
- amenazando — The gerund is amenazando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle amenazado.
Frequently asked questions
Is amenazar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense amenazar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of amenazar?
The gerund is amenazando and the past participle is amenazado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I threaten" in the present tense?
Say amenazo. For example: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of amenazar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo amenacé a su vecino con una denuncia — "Yesterday, I threatened his neighbour with a complaint". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of amenazar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- amenazar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.