Abandonar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abandonar means “to abandon” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Abandonar means to abandon, and it covers leaving a place, leaving a person, giving up a plan and deserting a duty. You abandon a house, a car, a project or a friend, and the verb always carries a sense of leaving something behind for good. It is also used for abandoning oneself to a feeling, as in abandonarse a la tristeza. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of abandonar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abandonar present tense page.

abandonar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with abandonar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo abandono la casa de mi abuela. — I abandon my grandmother's house.
  2. Él/Ella abandona el proyecto a mitad de camino. — He abandons the project halfway through.
  3. Nosotros/as abandonamos a su familia en el pueblo. — We abandon his family in the village.
  4. Ellos/as abandonan el coche en la carretera. — They abandon the car on the road.

In the past

Four sentences with abandonar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo abandoné a su familia en el pueblo. — Yesterday, I abandoned his family in the village.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as abandonábamos el coche en la carretera. — Before, We used to abandon the car on the road.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella abandonó la casa de mi abuela. — Yesterday, He abandoned my grandmother's house.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as abandonaban el proyecto a mitad de camino. — As children, They used to abandon the project halfway through.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with abandonar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú abandonarás la casa de mi abuela. — Tomorrow, You will abandon my grandmother's house.
  2. Yo abandonaría el proyecto a mitad de camino. — I would abandon the project halfway through.
  3. Espero que él abandone a su familia en el pueblo. — I hope he abandons his family in the village.
  4. Él/Ella ha abandonado el coche en la carretera. — He has abandoned the car on the road.

abandonar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú abandonas la casa de mi abuela mañana? — Are you going to abandon my grandmother's house tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo abandono la casa de mi abuela todos los días. — Yes, I abandon my grandmother's house every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana abandonarás el proyecto a mitad de camino? — And tomorrow, will you abandon the project halfway through? Luis: Claro, mañana abandonaré el proyecto a mitad de camino sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will abandon the project halfway through without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo abandonaré a su familia en el pueblo también. — Perfect. I will abandon his family in the village too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer abandoné a su familia en el pueblo. — Yesterday, I abandoned his family in the village. Ana: ¿Y antes abandonabas el coche en la carretera? — And before, did you use to abandon the car on the road? Luis: Sí, antes abandonaba el coche en la carretera todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to abandon the car on the road every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos abandonaron la casa de mi abuela? — And did your brothers abandoned my grandmother's house? Luis: Sí, ellos abandonaron la casa de mi abuela por la tarde. — Yes, they abandoned my grandmother's house in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo abandona la casa de mi abuela. — Right: Yo abandono la casa de mi abuela. — The person matters: abandona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abandono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating abandonar and dejar as identical in every context. — Right: Abandonar means to abandon, while dejar means to leave something or someone. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abandonar fits sentences such as Abandono la casa de mi abuela, while dejar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy abandonado el proyecto a mitad de camino. — Right: Yo he abandonado el proyecto a mitad de camino. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abandonado, has abandonado, ha abandonado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo abandoné a su familia en el pueblo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abandonaba a su familia en el pueblo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abandonaba), not the preterite. The preterite (abandoné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on abandonar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el coche en la carretera. (present tense) A. abandonan B. abandono C. abandonas D. abandona

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la casa de mi abuela. (preterite tense) A. abandoné B. abandonaste C. abandonó D. abandonamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el proyecto a mitad de camino. (imperfect tense) A. abandonábamos B. abandonabais C. abandonabas D. abandonaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ a su familia en el pueblo. (future tense) A. abandonaremos B. abandonará C. abandonaré D. abandonarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el coche en la carretera. (conditional tense) A. abandonaríamos B. abandonaría C. abandonarías D. abandonaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la casa de mi abuela. (present-perfect tense) A. has abandonado B. ha abandonado C. hemos abandonado D. he abandonado

  7. What does abandonar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to abandon D. to leave something or someone

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo abandoné a su familia en el pueblo. B. Yo abandona la casa de mi abuela. C. Yo abandono la casa de mi abuela. D. Él/Ella abandona el proyecto a mitad de camino.

  9. Which is the gerund of abandonar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abandonando B. abandonado C. abandono D. abandoné

  10. Which is the past participle of abandonar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abandonando B. abandono C. abandoné D. abandonado

Answer key

  1. abandonan — The correct form here is abandonan.
  2. abandonamos — The correct form here is abandonamos.
  3. abandonabas — The correct form here is abandonabas.
  4. abandonará — The correct form here is abandonará.
  5. abandonaríamos — The correct form here is abandonaríamos.
  6. he abandonado — The correct form here is he abandonado.
  7. to abandon — Abandonar means to abandon. Dejar means to leave something or someone, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo abandona la casa de mi abuela. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo abandono la casa de mi abuela.. The person matters: abandona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abandono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. abandonando — The gerund of abandonar is abandonando: estoy abandonando.
  10. abandonado — The past participle of abandonar is abandonado: he abandonado, has abandonado, ha abandonado.

Frequently asked questions

What does abandonar mean?

Abandonar means to abandon. Abandonar means to abandon, and it covers leaving a place, leaving a person, giving up a plan and deserting a duty. You abandon a house, a car, a project or a friend, and the verb always carries a sense of leaving something behind for good. It is also used for abandoning oneself to a feeling, as in abandonarse a la tristeza.

When do people use abandonar most?

People use abandonar most in everyday situations such as Yo abandono la casa de mi abuela. and Ayer, Yo abandoné a su familia en el pueblo.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between abandonar and dejar?

Abandonar means to abandon, while dejar means to leave something or someone. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of abandonar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of abandonar as your reference, the abandonar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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