How to Say "menaced" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “menaced” is “amenazó” — B1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
El director lo amenazó con despedirlo si llegaba tarde otra vez.
The manager threatened him with firing him if he was late again.
La tormenta amenazó con arruinar la fiesta, pero se fue rápido.
The storm threatened to ruin the party, but it left quickly.
¿Por qué me amenazó usted con llamar a seguridad?
Why did you (formal) threaten me with calling security?
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.
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.
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.