Amortiguar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of amortiguar — “to cushion, to soften” 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 amortiguar 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. Amortiguar means to cushion or to soften, to reduce the force of a blow, a fall, a noise or bad news. It is used for safety, sound and figurative speech, and it is fully regular. To see it in a real sentence: Amortiguo el golpe con un cojín. — “I cushion the blow with a cushion.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of amortiguar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: amortiguar
Every person of amortiguar in the present tense. The gerund is amortiguando and the past participle is amortiguado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | amortiguo |
| tú | amortiguas |
| él/ella/Ud. | amortigua |
| nosotros/as | amortiguamos |
| vosotros/as | amortiguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | amortiguan |
How the present indicative of amortiguar is formed
The present indicative of amortiguar is built from the stem plus the present indicative 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 | amortiguo |
| tú | -as | amortiguas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | amortigua |
| nosotros/as | -amos | amortiguamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | amortiguáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | amortiguan |
Amortiguar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is amortigu- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of amortiguar is amortiguando and the past participle is amortiguado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of amortiguar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and amortiguar 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.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and amortiguar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo amortiguo el golpe con un cojín todos los días.” — “I cushion the blow with a cushion every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él amortigua la caída con las manos.” — “He/she cushions the fall with my hands.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so amortiguo can mean both “I cushion” and “I am cushioning”.
“Ahora mismo, yo amortiguo el ruido con cortinas gruesas.” — “Right now, I cushion the noise with thick curtains.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo amortiguo el impacto del accidente.” — “Tomorrow, I will cushion the impact of the accident.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú amortiguas el golpe con un cojín?” — “Do you cushion the blow with a cushion?”
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: Amortigua la caída con las manos. — “He/she cushions the fall with my hands.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Amortiguó la caída con las manos. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
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: Amortiguan el ruido con cortinas gruesas. — “They cushion the noise with thick curtains.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Amortiguaban el ruido con cortinas gruesas. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
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: Amortiguas el impacto del accidente. — “You cushion the impact of the accident.”
- Future — what will happen: Amortiguarás el impacto del accidente. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: amortiguar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show amortiguar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo amortiguo el golpe con un cojín. — “I cushion the blow with a cushion.”
- Tú amortiguas la caída con las manos. — “You cushion the fall with my hands.”
- Él amortigua el ruido con cortinas gruesas. — “He cushions the noise with thick curtains.”
- Nosotros amortiguamos el impacto del accidente. — “We cushion the impact of the accident.”
- Vosotros amortiguáis el golpe con un cojín. — “You (plural) cushion the blow with a cushion.”
- Ellos amortiguan la caída con las manos. — “They cushion the fall with my hands.”
- ¿Tú amortiguas el ruido con cortinas gruesas? — “Do you cushion the noise with thick curtains?”
Common mistakes with amortiguar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with amortiguar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo amortiguar el golpe con un cojín. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo amortiguo el golpe con un cojín.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of amortiguar is amortiguo, not the infinitive amortiguar.
✗ Vosotros amortiguais el golpe con un cojín. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros amortiguáis el golpe con un cojín.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: amortiguáis, not amortiguais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo amortiguo la caída con las manos. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo amortigüé la caída con las manos.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: amortiguo is happening now, while amortigüé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating amortiguar and suavizar as identical in every context. (confusing amortiguar with suavizar).
✓ Correct: Amortiguar means to cushion, to soften, while suavizar means to soften.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: amortiguar fits sentences such as Amortiguo el golpe con un cojín, while suavizar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: amortiguar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of amortiguar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of amortiguar for tú?
- a) amortiguas
- b) amortiguo
- c) amortigua
- d) amortiguan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el golpe con un cojín. — “I cushion the blow with a cushion.”
- a) amortigua
- b) amortiguamos
- c) amortiguas
- d) amortiguo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la caída con las manos. — “He/she cushions the fall with my hands.” (present tense)
- a) amortiguaba
- b) amortiguará
- c) amortigua
- d) amortiguó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of amortiguar for nosotros?
- a) amortiguan
- b) amortiguamos
- c) amortiguo
- d) amortigua
5. Which sentence uses amortiguar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él amortiguó la caída con las manos.
- b) Él amortigua la caída con las manos.
- c) Él amortiguará la caída con las manos.
- d) Ellos amortigua la caída con las manos.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ el ruido con cortinas gruesas. — “They cushion the noise with thick curtains.”
- a) amortiguo
- b) amortigua
- c) amortiguamos
- d) amortiguan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ el impacto del accidente? — “Do you cushion the impact of the accident?”
- a) amortigua
- b) amortiguarás
- c) amortiguas
- d) amortiguo
8. What is the gerund of amortiguar?
- a) amortigüé
- b) amortiguando
- c) amortiguado
- d) amortiguo
Answer key
a) amortiguas — The tú form is amortiguas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; amortiguo is yo, amortigua is él/ella and amortiguan is ellos/ellas.
d) amortiguo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: amortiguo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) amortigua — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: amortigua. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) amortiguamos — Nosotros takes amortiguamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él amortigua la caída con las manos. — Él amortigua la caída con las manos. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) amortiguan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is amortiguan.
c) amortiguas — The question needs the tú form in the present: amortiguas.
b) amortiguando — The gerund is amortiguando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle amortiguado.
Frequently asked questions
Is amortiguar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Amortiguar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: amortiguo, amortiguas, amortigua, amortiguamos, amortiguáis and amortiguan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of amortiguar?
The gerund is amortiguando and the past participle is amortiguado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I cushion” in Spanish?
Say amortiguo. For example: Amortiguo el golpe con un cojín. — “I cushion the blow with a cushion.”
What is the difference between amortiguar and suavizar?
Amortiguar means “to cushion, to soften”, while suavizar means “to soften”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use amortiguar when you mean “to cushion, to soften” and suavizar when you mean “to soften”. The full conjugation of amortiguar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of amortiguar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- amortiguar 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.
- Amansar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amortiguar.
- Anticipar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amortiguar.
- Amamantar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with amortiguar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.