Amenazar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb amenazar means to threaten, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, amenazar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is amenacé and the present subjunctive yo form is amenace.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: amenazar
  • English: to threaten
  • Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: amenazando
  • Past participle: amenazado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + amenazado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for amenazar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for amenazar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenazo | | tú | amenazas | | él/ella/Ud. | amenaza | | nosotros/as | amenazamos | | vosotros/as | amenazáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenacé | | tú | amenazaste | | él/ella/Ud. | amenazó | | nosotros/as | amenazamos | | vosotros/as | amenazasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenazaba | | tú | amenazabas | | él/ella/Ud. | amenazaba | | nosotros/as | amenazábamos | | vosotros/as | amenazabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenazaré | | tú | amenazarás | | él/ella/Ud. | amenazará | | nosotros/as | amenazaremos | | vosotros/as | amenazaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenazaría | | tú | amenazarías | | él/ella/Ud. | amenazaría | | nosotros/as | amenazaríamos | | vosotros/as | amenazaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he amenazado | | tú | has amenazado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha amenazado | | nosotros/as | hemos amenazado | | vosotros/as | habéis amenazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han amenazado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había amenazado | | tú | habías amenazado | | él/ella/Ud. | había amenazado | | nosotros/as | habíamos amenazado | | vosotros/as | habíais amenazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían amenazado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré amenazado | | tú | habrás amenazado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá amenazado | | nosotros/as | habremos amenazado | | vosotros/as | habréis amenazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán amenazado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría amenazado | | tú | habrías amenazado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría amenazado | | nosotros/as | habríamos amenazado | | vosotros/as | habríais amenazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían amenazado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenace | | tú | amenaces | | él/ella/Ud. | amenace | | nosotros/as | amenacemos | | vosotros/as | amenacéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenacen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | amenazara | | tú | amenazaras | | él/ella/Ud. | amenazara | | nosotros/as | amenazáramos | | vosotros/as | amenazarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenazaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | amenaza | | él/ella/Ud. | amenace | | nosotros/as | amenacemos | | vosotros/as | amenazad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenacen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | amenaces | | él/ella/Ud. | amenace | | nosotros/as | amenacemos | | vosotros/as | amenacéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | amenacen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund amenazando with estar for the progressive: está amenazando
Past participle amenazado with haber for the perfect tenses: he amenazado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia — "I threaten his neighbour with a complaint".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is amenacé and the present subjunctive yo form is amenace. For amenazar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo amenacé con irse de la casa — "Yesterday, I threatened to leave the house".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo amenazaba la paz del barrio — "As a child, I used to threaten the peace of the neighbourhood".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo amenazaré con despedir a todos — "Tomorrow, I will threaten to dismiss everyone".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo amenazaría a su vecino con una denuncia si pudiera — "I would threaten his neighbour with a complaint if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he amenazado con irse de la casa — "Today, I have threatened to leave the house".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había amenazado la paz del barrio antes de salir — "I already had threatened the peace of the neighbourhood before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré amenazado con despedir a todos — "By tomorrow, I will have threatened to dismiss everyone".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría amenazado a su vecino con una denuncia con más tiempo — "I would have threatened his neighbour with a complaint with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is amenacé and the present subjunctive yo form is amenace. For amenazar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él amenace con irse de la casa — "I hope he threatens to leave the house".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo amenazara la paz del barrio, todo cambiaría — "If I threatened the peace of the neighbourhood, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Amenaza con despedir a todos. — "Threaten to dismiss everyone.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For amenazar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No amenaces a su vecino con una denuncia. — "Do not threaten his neighbour with a complaint.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with amenazar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo amenacé la paz del barrio — "Yesterday, I threatened the peace of the neighbourhood"
  4. Antes, nosotros amenazábamos con despedir a todos — "Before, we used to threaten to dismiss everyone"
  5. Mañana, tú amenazarás al testigo en el juicio — "Tomorrow, you will threaten the witness at the trial"
  6. Yo amenazaría a su vecino con una denuncia si tuviera más tiempo — "I would threaten his neighbour with a complaint if I had more time"
  7. Él ha amenazado con irse de la casa — "He has threatened to leave the house"
  8. Espero que él amenace la paz del barrio — "I hope he threatens the peace of the neighbourhood"
  9. Yo ya había amenazado con despedir a todos antes de salir — "I already had threatened to dismiss everyone before leaving"
  10. Ellos amenazaban al testigo en el juicio cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to threaten the witness at the trial when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Ayer, yo amenazé la paz del barrio. — Right: Ayer, yo amenacé la paz del barrio. — The z of amenazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is amenacé, never amenazé.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él amenaza con irse de la casa — Right: Espero que él amenace con irse de la casa — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él amenace con irse de la casa — not the indicative Espero que él amenaza con irse de la casa.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo amenazo la paz del barrio — Right: Ayer, yo amenacé la paz del barrio — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo amenacé la paz del barrio.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo amenacé con despedir a todos todos los días — Right: De niño, yo amenazaba con despedir a todos todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo amenazaba con despedir a todos todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo amenazo su vecino con una denuncia. — Right: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia. — amenazar takes a before this complement: Yo amenazo a su vecino con una denuncia. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on amenazar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ con irse de la casa — "He threatened to leave the house" (preterite) A. amenazó B. amenacé C. amenazaste D. amenazamos

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ con despedir a todos — "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: Espero que él ______ a su vecino con una denuncia — "I hope he threatens his neighbour with a complaint" (present subjunctive) A. amenace B. amenaces C. amenacemos D. amenacéis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ con irse de la casa, todo cambiaría — "If I threatened to leave the house, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. amenazara B. amenazaras C. amenazáramos D. amenazarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la paz del barrio — "We have threatened the peace of the neighbourhood" (present perfect) A. ha amenazado B. hemos amenazado C. he amenazado D. has amenazado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ con despedir a todos. — "Do not threaten to dismiss everyone." (negative imperative) A. amenacéis B. amenaces C. amenace D. amenacemos

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

Answer key

  1. amenazo — The present form for yo is amenazo.
  2. amenazó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is amenazó.
  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. amenace — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is amenace.
  7. amenazara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is amenazara.
  8. hemos amenazado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos amenazado.
  9. amenaces — The negative imperative form is amenaces.
  10. amenazando — The gerund of amenazar is amenazando: estoy amenazando. The participle amenazado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does amenazar mean in English?

amenazar means to threaten. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. Apart from that change, it follows the regular endings.

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 I say "I threaten" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo amenacé con irse de la casa — "Yesterday, I threatened to leave the house". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo amenazaba la paz del barrio — "As a child, I used to threaten the peace of the neighbourhood". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he amenazado con irse de la casa — "Today, I have threatened to leave the house".

What is the difference between amenazar and advertir?

Advertir is to warn someone about a danger. Amenazar is to threaten them, usually with something you will do 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.

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