Abastecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abastecer means “to supply” 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. Abastecer means to supply, and it is the verb of shops, markets, warehouses and water systems: a shop supplies a neighbourhood, a lorry supplies a market, a river supplies a city with water. It takes a direct object for the place or person supplied, and often de for the thing supplied, as in abastecer la tienda de pan. 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 abastecer; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abastecer present tense page.

abastecer in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. — I supply the shop with bread every morning.
  2. Él/Ella abastece el mercado con verduras frescas. — He supplies the market with fresh vegetables.
  3. Nosotros/as abastecemos la ciudad de agua potable. — We supply the city with drinking water.
  4. Ellos/as abastecen el hospital con medicinas. — They supply the hospital with medicines.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo abastecí la ciudad de agua potable. — Yesterday, I supplied the city with drinking water.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as abastecíamos el hospital con medicinas. — Before, We used to supply the hospital with medicines.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella abasteció la tienda de pan cada mañana. — Yesterday, He supplied the shop with bread every morning.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as abastecían el mercado con verduras frescas. — As children, They used to supply the market with fresh vegetables.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú abastecerás la tienda de pan cada mañana. — Tomorrow, You will supply the shop with bread every morning.
  2. Yo abastecería el mercado con verduras frescas. — I would supply the market with fresh vegetables.
  3. Espero que él abastezca la ciudad de agua potable. — I hope he supplies the city with drinking water.
  4. Él/Ella ha abastecido el hospital con medicinas. — He has supplied the hospital with medicines.

abastecer in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú abasteces la tienda de pan cada mañana mañana? — Are you going to supply the shop with bread every morning tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana todos los días. — Yes, I supply the shop with bread every morning every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana abastecerás el mercado con verduras frescas? — And tomorrow, will you supply the market with fresh vegetables? Luis: Claro, mañana abasteceré el mercado con verduras frescas sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will supply the market with fresh vegetables without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo abasteceré la ciudad de agua potable también. — Perfect. I will supply the city with drinking water too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer abastecí la ciudad de agua potable. — Yesterday, I supplied the city with drinking water. Ana: ¿Y antes abastecías el hospital con medicinas? — And before, did you use to supply the hospital with medicines? Luis: Sí, antes abastecía el hospital con medicinas todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to supply the hospital with medicines every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos abastecieron la tienda de pan cada mañana? — And did your brothers supplied the shop with bread every morning? Luis: Sí, ellos abastecieron la tienda de pan cada mañana por la tarde. — Yes, they supplied the shop with bread every morning in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo abastece la tienda de pan cada mañana. — Right: Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. — The person matters: abastece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abastezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo abasteco el mercado con verduras frescas. — Right: Yo abastezco el mercado con verduras frescas. — Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so the present is yo abastezco, never abasteco.
  3. Wrong: Treating abastecer and suministrar as identical in every context. — Right: Abastecer means to supply, while suministrar means to supply, the more formal synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abastecer fits sentences such as Abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana, while suministrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy abastecido el mercado con verduras frescas. — Right: Yo he abastecido el mercado con verduras frescas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abastecido, has abastecido, ha abastecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo abastecí la ciudad de agua potable todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abastecía la ciudad de agua potable todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abastecía), not the preterite. The preterite (abastecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el hospital con medicinas. (present tense) A. abastecen B. abastezco C. abasteces D. abastece

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la tienda de pan cada mañana. (preterite tense) A. abastecí B. abasteciste C. abasteció D. abastecimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el mercado con verduras frescas. (imperfect tense) A. abastecíamos B. abastecíais C. abastecías D. abastecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la ciudad de agua potable. (future tense) A. abasteceremos B. abastecerá C. abasteceré D. abastecerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el hospital con medicinas. (conditional tense) A. abasteceríamos B. abastecería C. abastecerías D. abasteceríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la tienda de pan cada mañana. (present-perfect tense) A. has abastecido B. ha abastecido C. hemos abastecido D. he abastecido

  7. What does abastecer mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to supply D. to supply, the more formal synonym

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo abastecí la ciudad de agua potable. B. Yo abastece la tienda de pan cada mañana. C. Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. D. Él/Ella abastece el mercado con verduras frescas.

  9. Which is the gerund of abastecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. abasteciendo B. abastecido C. abastezco D. abastecí

  10. Which is the past participle of abastecer, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abasteciendo B. abastezco C. abastecí D. abastecido

Answer key

  1. abastecen — The correct form here is abastecen.
  2. abastecimos — The correct form here is abastecimos.
  3. abastecías — The correct form here is abastecías.
  4. abastecerá — The correct form here is abastecerá.
  5. abasteceríamos — The correct form here is abasteceríamos.
  6. he abastecido — The correct form here is he abastecido.
  7. to supply — Abastecer means to supply. Suministrar means to supply, the more formal synonym, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo abastece la tienda de pan cada mañana. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana.. The person matters: abastece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abastezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. abasteciendo — The gerund of abastecer is abasteciendo: estoy abasteciendo.
  10. abastecido — The past participle of abastecer is abastecido: he abastecido, has abastecido, ha abastecido.

Frequently asked questions

What does abastecer mean?

Abastecer means to supply. Abastecer means to supply, and it is the verb of shops, markets, warehouses and water systems: a shop supplies a neighbourhood, a lorry supplies a market, a river supplies a city with water. It takes a direct object for the place or person supplied, and often de for the thing supplied, as in abastecer la tienda de pan.

When do people use abastecer most?

People use abastecer most in everyday situations such as Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. and Ayer, Yo abastecí la ciudad de agua potable.. 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 abastecer and suministrar?

Abastecer means to supply, while suministrar means to supply, the more formal synonym. 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 abastecer?

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

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