amenazó
ah-meh-nah-SOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
El director lo amenazó con despedirlo si llegaba tarde otra vez.
B1The manager threatened him with firing him if he was late again.
La tormenta amenazó con arruinar la fiesta, pero se fue rápido.
B2The storm threatened to ruin the party, but it left quickly.
¿Por qué me amenazó usted con llamar a seguridad?
B2Why did you (formal) threaten me with calling security?
💡 Grammar Points
Identifying the Speaker
The ending '-ó' always tells you that the person doing the action was 'él' (he), 'ella' (she), or 'usted' (you, formal). It never refers to 'I' or 'we'.
Preterite Tense Function
'Amenazó' uses the simple past (preterite) tense, which means the threat was a single, completed action that happened at a specific time in the past and is now over.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Using 'amenazaba' (imperfect) when you mean 'amenazó' (preterite)."
Correction: Use 'amenazó' for a specific, one-time threat. Use 'amenazaba' only if the threatening was a repeated habit or background action in the past.
⭐ Usage Tips
Using 'Con' (With)
When talking about what the person threatened to do, Spanish often uses 'con' (with) before the next verb (in its infinitive form): 'Amenazó con llamar' (He threatened with calling).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: amenazó
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'amenazó'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
If 'amenazó' is regular, why is the 'yo' form 'amenacé'?
This is a spelling rule for verbs that end in -zar. To keep the soft 's' or 'th' sound when the verb is followed by the letter 'e' (like in 'yo amenacé' or 'yo amenace'), the 'z' must change to a 'c.' It sounds the same, but the spelling is different!
Can 'amenazó' refer to a non-human thing?
Yes! Just like in English, 'amenazó' can describe a situation, a storm, or a dangerous object that posed a threat. For example, 'El volcán amenazó con erupcionar' (The volcano threatened to erupt).