Abastecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of abastecer — “to supply” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for abastecer with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Abastecer is a spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana.
Present tense conjugation table: abastecer
Every person of abastecer in the present tense. The gerund is abasteciendo and the past participle is abastecido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abastezco |
| tú | abasteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | abastece |
| nosotros/as | abastecemos |
| vosotros/as | abastecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abastecen |
How the present of abastecer is formed
The present of abastecer is built from the stem abastec- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | abastezco |
| tú | -es | abasteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | abastece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | abastecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | abastecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | abastecen |
Watch out for yo: the form is abastezco, not the regular abasteco. The spelling changes here so the pronunciation stays the same.
When to use the present tense with abastecer
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. — I supply the shop with bread every morning.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella abastece el mercado con verduras frescas. — He supplies the market with fresh vegetables.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as abastecemos la ciudad de agua potable. — Right now, We supply the city with drinking water.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú abasteces el hospital con medicinas. — Tomorrow, You supply the hospital with medicines.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella abastece la tienda de pan cada mañana. — He supplies the shop with bread every morning.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with abastecer.
- Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. — I supply the shop with bread every morning. / Ayer, Yo abastecí la tienda de pan cada mañana. — Yesterday, I supplied the shop with bread every morning.
- Yo abastezco el mercado con verduras frescas. — I supply the market with fresh vegetables. / Ayer, Yo abastecí el mercado con verduras frescas. — Yesterday, I supplied the market with fresh vegetables.
- Yo abastezco la ciudad de agua potable. — I supply the city with drinking water. / Ayer, Yo abastecí la ciudad de agua potable. — Yesterday, I supplied the city with drinking water.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with abastecer in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana. — I supply the shop with bread every morning.
- Tú abasteces el mercado con verduras frescas. — You supply the market with fresh vegetables.
- Él/Ella abastece la ciudad de agua potable. — He supplies the city with drinking water.
- Nosotros/as abastecemos el hospital con medicinas. — We supply the hospital with medicines.
- Vosotros/as abastecéis la tienda de pan cada mañana. — You supply the shop with bread every morning.
- Ellos/as abastecen el mercado con verduras frescas. — They supply the market with fresh vegetables.
- Yo abastezco la ciudad de agua potable. — I supply the city with drinking water.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- Wrong: Using abastecer where suministrar belongs. — Right: Abastecer means to supply, while suministrar means to supply, the more formal synonym. — Check the meaning before you choose: abastecer fits Abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana.
- Wrong: Espero que él abastece el mercado con verduras frescas. — Right: Espero que él abastezca el mercado con verduras frescas. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: abastezca, not the present indicative abastece.
Quiz: the present tense of abastecer
Eight questions on the present tense of abastecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la tienda de pan cada mañana. (present tense, yo) A. abastezco B. abasteces C. abastece D. abastecemos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ el mercado con verduras frescas. (present tense, tú) A. abastezco B. abastece C. abastecemos D. abasteces
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la ciudad de agua potable. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. abasteces B. abastecemos C. abastece D. abastezco
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el hospital con medicinas. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. abastece B. abastecemos C. abastezco D. abasteces
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la tienda de pan cada mañana. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. abastecéis B. abastezco C. abasteces D. abastece
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el mercado con verduras frescas. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. abastezco B. abasteces C. abastece D. abastecen
Which is the gerund of abastecer? A. abastezco B. abastecí C. abasteciendo D. abastecido
Which is the past participle of abastecer, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abastecí B. abastecido C. abasteciendo D. abastezco
Answer key
- abastezco — The yo present form of abastecer is abastezco.
- abasteces — The tú present form of abastecer is abasteces.
- abastece — The él/ella/Ud. present form of abastecer is abastece.
- abastecemos — The nosotros/as present form of abastecer is abastecemos.
- abastecéis — The vosotros/as present form of abastecer is abastecéis.
- abastecen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of abastecer is abastecen.
- abasteciendo — The gerund of abastecer is abasteciendo: estoy abasteciendo.
- abastecido — The past participle of abastecer is abastecido: he abastecido, has abastecido, ha abastecido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of abastecer formed?
Take the infinitive abastecer, drop the -er ending to get the stem abastec-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. The full table is above, with every person. The present of abastecer has a spelling change so the pronunciation stays the same, but the endings are regular.
When do I use the present tense of abastecer?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Abastezco la tienda de pan cada mañana.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of abastecer?
The present (abastezco) and the preterite (abastecí) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of abastecer?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of abastecer to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the abastecer examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Abastecer conjugation — the full conjugation tables for abastecer.
- Abastecer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for abastecer.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.