Atenuar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb atenuar means to attenuate, to lessen, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Atenuar means to lessen or soften something: atenuar el dolor, atenuar el ruido. It is used for pain, noise, light and the impact of news. Like every Spanish verb, atenuar 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 atenúo el dolor con un medicamento — "I lessen the pain with a medicine". 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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: atenuar
  • English: to attenuate, to lessen
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: atenuando
  • Past participle: atenuado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + atenuado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenúo | | tú | atenúas | | él/ella/Ud. | atenúa | | nosotros/as | atenuamos | | vosotros/as | atenuáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenúan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenué | | tú | atenuaste | | él/ella/Ud. | atenuó | | nosotros/as | atenuamos | | vosotros/as | atenuasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenuaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenuaba | | tú | atenuabas | | él/ella/Ud. | atenuaba | | nosotros/as | atenuábamos | | vosotros/as | atenuabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenuaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenuaré | | tú | atenuarás | | él/ella/Ud. | atenuará | | nosotros/as | atenuaremos | | vosotros/as | atenuaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenuarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenuaría | | tú | atenuarías | | él/ella/Ud. | atenuaría | | nosotros/as | atenuaríamos | | vosotros/as | atenuaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenuarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenúe | | tú | atenúes | | él/ella/Ud. | atenúe | | nosotros/as | atenuemos | | vosotros/as | atenuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenúen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | atenuara | | tú | atenuaras | | él/ella/Ud. | atenuara | | nosotros/as | atenuáramos | | vosotros/as | atenuarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenuaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | atenúa | | él/ella/Ud. | atenúe | | nosotros/as | atenuemos | | vosotros/as | atenuad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenúen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | atenúes | | él/ella/Ud. | atenúe | | nosotros/as | atenuemos | | vosotros/as | atenuéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | atenúen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 atenuar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo atenúo el dolor con un medicamento — "I lessen the pain with a medicine".

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. For atenuar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo atenué el ruido con cortinas — "Yesterday, I lessened the noise with curtains".

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 atenuar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo atenuaba la luz con una persiana — "As a child, I used to lessen the light with a blind".

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 atenuar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo atenuaré el impacto de la noticia — "Tomorrow, I will lessen the impact of the news".

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 atenuar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo atenuaría el dolor con un medicamento si pudiera — "I would lessen the pain with a medicine 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 atenuar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he atenuado el ruido con cortinas — "Today, I have lessened the noise with curtains".

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 atenuar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había atenuado la luz con una persiana antes de salir — "I already had lessened the light with a blind 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 atenuar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré atenuado el impacto de la noticia — "By tomorrow, I will have lessened the impact of the news".

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 atenuar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría atenuado el dolor con un medicamento con más tiempo — "I would have lessened the pain with a medicine 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. For atenuar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él atenúe el ruido con cortinas — "I hope he lessens the noise with curtains".

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 atenuar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo atenuara la luz con una persiana, todo cambiaría — "If I lessened the light with a blind, 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 atenuar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Atenúa el impacto de la noticia. — "Lessen the impact of the news.".

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 atenuar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No atenúes el dolor con un medicamento. — "Do not lessen the pain with a medicine.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo atenúo el dolor con un medicamento — "I lessen the pain with a medicine"
  2. Mi amigo atenúa el ruido con cortinas — "My friend lessens the noise with curtains"
  3. Ayer, yo atenué la luz con una persiana — "Yesterday, I lessened the light with a blind"
  4. Antes, nosotros atenuábamos el impacto de la noticia — "Before, we used to lessen the impact of the news"
  5. Mañana, tú atenuarás el frío con una manta — "Tomorrow, you will lessen the cold with a blanket"
  6. Yo atenuaría el dolor con un medicamento si tuviera más tiempo — "I would lessen the pain with a medicine if I had more time"
  7. Él ha atenuado el ruido con cortinas — "He has lessened the noise with curtains"
  8. Espero que él atenúe la luz con una persiana — "I hope he lessens the light with a blind"
  9. Yo ya había atenuado el impacto de la noticia antes de salir — "I already had lessened the impact of the news before leaving"
  10. Ellos atenuaban el frío con una manta cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to lessen the cold with a blanket when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él atenúa el ruido con cortinas — Right: Espero que él atenúe el ruido con cortinas — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él atenúe el ruido con cortinas — not the indicative Espero que él atenúa el ruido con cortinas.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo atenúo la luz con una persiana — Right: Ayer, yo atenué la luz con una persiana — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo atenué la luz con una persiana.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo atenué el impacto de la noticia todos los días — Right: De niño, yo atenuaba el impacto de la noticia todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo atenuaba el impacto de la noticia todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo atenúo en el dolor con un medicamento. — Right: Yo atenúo el dolor con un medicamento. — atenuar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo atenúo el dolor con un medicamento.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros atenuais el frío con una manta. — Right: Vosotros atenuáis el frío con una manta. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: atenuáis, not atenuais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el dolor con un medicamento — "I lessen the pain with a medicine" (present) A. atenúa B. atenuamos C. atenúo D. atenúas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el ruido con cortinas — "He lessened the noise with curtains" (preterite) A. atenuó B. atenué C. atenuaste D. atenuamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la luz con una persiana — "We used to lessen the light with a blind" (imperfect) A. atenuabas B. atenuabais C. atenuábamos D. atenuaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el impacto de la noticia — "You will lessen the impact of the news" (future) A. atenuaré B. atenuará C. atenuaremos D. atenuarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el frío con una manta — "I would lessen the cold with a blanket" (conditional) A. atenuarías B. atenuaríamos C. atenuaríais D. atenuaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el dolor con un medicamento — "I hope he lessens the pain with a medicine" (present subjunctive) A. atenuemos B. atenuéis C. atenúe D. atenúes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el ruido con cortinas, todo cambiaría — "If I lessened the noise with curtains, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. atenuara B. atenuaras C. atenuáramos D. atenuarais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la luz con una persiana — "We have lessened the light with a blind" (present perfect) A. has atenuado B. ha atenuado C. hemos atenuado D. he atenuado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el impacto de la noticia. — "Do not lessen the impact of the news." (negative imperative) A. atenúe B. atenuemos C. atenuéis D. atenúes

  10. Which is the gerund of atenuar, used with estar for the progressive? A. atenúo B. atenué C. atenuando D. atenuado

Answer key

  1. atenúo — The present form for yo is atenúo.
  2. atenuó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is atenuó.
  3. atenuábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is atenuábamos.
  4. atenuarás — The future form for tú is atenuarás.
  5. atenuaría — The conditional form for yo is atenuaría.
  6. atenúe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is atenúe.
  7. atenuara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is atenuara.
  8. hemos atenuado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos atenuado.
  9. atenúes — The negative imperative form is atenúes.
  10. atenuando — The gerund of atenuar is atenuando: estoy atenuando. The participle atenuado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does atenuar mean in English?

atenuar means to attenuate, to lessen. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo atenúo el dolor con un medicamento — "I lessen the pain with a medicine". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is atenuar regular?

Yes. atenuar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as atenuáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of atenuar?

The gerund is atenuando and the past participle is atenuado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I lessen" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo atenué el ruido con cortinas — "Yesterday, I lessened the noise with curtains". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo atenuaba la luz con una persiana — "As a child, I used to lessen the light with a blind". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he atenuado el ruido con cortinas — "Today, I have lessened the noise with curtains".

What is the difference between atenuar and disminuir?

Disminuir is to reduce a number or an amount. Atenuar is to soften an effect — pain, noise, light or bad news. Atenuar means to lessen or soften something: atenuar el dolor, atenuar el ruido. It is used for pain, noise, light and the impact of news.

Related links