Abastecerse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
abastecerse means "to stock up" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see abastecerse with food for the winter, water at the market, firewood for the fireplace and medicines at the chemist's — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
abastecerse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with abastecerse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado. — "Yesterday, I stocked up with water at the market." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me abastecía de leña para la chimenea. — "In the past, I used to stock up with firewood for the fireplace." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos abasteceremos de medicinas en la farmacia. — "Tomorrow, we will stock up with medicines at the chemist's." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te abastecerías de comida para el invierno. — "If you could, you would stock up with food for the winter." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he abastecido de agua en el mercado. — "I have stocked up with water at the market." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se abastece de leña para la chimenea. — "Normally, he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se abasteció de medicinas en la farmacia. — "Yesterday, he/she stocked up with medicines at the chemist's." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos abastecíamos de comida para el invierno. — "In the past, we used to stock up with food for the winter." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me abasteceré de agua en el mercado. — "Tomorrow, I will stock up with water at the market." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se abastezca de leña para la chimenea. — "I hope that he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te abastezcas de medicinas en la farmacia! — "Do not stock up with medicines at the chemist's!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using abastecerse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: food for the winter, water at the market, firewood for the fireplace and medicines at the chemist's.
Dialogue 1: talking about food for the winter
Sofía: ¿Tú te abasteces de comida para el invierno? — "Do you stock up with food for the winter?" Diego: Sí, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "I stock up with food for the winter." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado. — "Yesterday, I stocked up with water at the market." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros nos abasteceremos de leña para la chimenea. — "Tomorrow, we will stock up with firewood for the fireplace." Diego: Si pudiera, yo me abastecería de medicinas en la farmacia. — "If I could, I would stock up with medicines at the chemist's." Sofía: Antes, yo me abastecía de agua en el mercado. — "In the past, I used to stock up with water at the market." Diego: Yo me he abastecido de comida para el invierno. — "I have stocked up with food for the winter." Sofía: ¡No te abastezcas de leña para la chimenea! — "Do not stock up with firewood for the fireplace!"
In this dialogue abastecerse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about firewood for the fireplace
Sofía: Él se abastece de leña para la chimenea. — "he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se abastece de leña para la chimenea todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos se abastecen de medicinas en la farmacia. — "they stock up with medicines at the chemist's." Diego: Ayer, ellos se abastecieron de leña para la chimenea. — "Yesterday, they stocked up with firewood for the fireplace." Sofía: Espero que él se abastezca de medicinas en la farmacia. — "I hope that he/she stocks up with medicines at the chemist's." Diego: Mañana, él se abastecerá de leña para la chimenea. — "Tomorrow, he/she will stock up with firewood for the fireplace." Sofía: Antes, nosotros nos abastecíamos de medicinas en la farmacia. — "In the past, we used to stock up with medicines at the chemist's." Diego: Nosotros nos abastecemos de comida para el invierno también. — "we stock up with food for the winter too."
This dialogue shows abastecerse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with abastecerse
The errors learners actually make with abastecerse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo abastezco de comida para el invierno.
- Right: Yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno.
- Why: abastecerse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo abastecerse de comida para el invierno.
- Right: Yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno.
- Why: The infinitive abastecerse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form abastezco.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me abastezco de agua en el mercado.
- Right: Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado. — "Yesterday, I stocked up with water at the market."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy abastecido de leña para la chimenea.
- Right: Me estoy abasteciendo de leña para la chimenea.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund abasteciendo for the progressive. The participle abastecido goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he abastecido), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos abastece de comida para el invierno.
- Right: Nosotros nos abastecemos de comida para el invierno.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abastecemos, while abastece belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: abastecerse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on abastecerse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abastecerse in the present tense?
- (a) abastezco
- (b) abasteces
- (c) abastece
- (d) abastecemos
Answer: (a) abastezco. The yo form is abastezco.
2. What is the tú form of abastecerse in the present tense?
- (a) abastezco
- (b) abastece
- (c) abastecemos
- (d) abasteces
Answer: (d) abasteces. The tú form is abasteces.
3. What is the él/ella form of abastecerse in the present tense?
- (a) abasteces
- (b) abastecemos
- (c) abastece
- (d) abastezco
Answer: (c) abastece. The él/ella form is abastece.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de comida para el invierno.
- (a) abastecemos
- (b) abastezco
- (c) abasteces
- (d) abastece
Answer: (b) abastezco. The sentence needs the yo form abastezco.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ de agua en el mercado.
- (a) abastecí
- (b) abasteciste
- (c) abasteció
- (d) abastecimos
Answer: (a) abastecí. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is abastecí.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ de leña para la chimenea.
- (a) abastecías
- (b) abastecíamos
- (c) abastecíais
- (d) abastecía
Answer: (d) abastecía. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is abastecía.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ de medicinas en la farmacia.
- (a) abastecerá
- (b) abasteceremos
- (c) abasteceré
- (d) abastecerás
Answer: (c) abasteceré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is abasteceré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de comida para el invierno.
- (a) se ha abastecido
- (b) nos hemos abastecido
- (c) me he abastecido
- (d) te has abastecido
Answer: (c) me he abastecido. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he abastecido.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de leña para la chimenea.
- (a) abastezca
- (b) abastezcas
- (c) abastezcamos
- (d) abastecáis
Answer: (a) abastezca. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is abastezca.
10. What does abastecerse mean in English?
- (a) to stock up
- (b) to imagine
- (c) to get impatient
- (d) to get worried
Answer: (a) to stock up. abastecerse means "to stock up" in English.
Frequently asked questions about abastecerse
What does abastecerse mean?
abastecerse means "to stock up" in English. Use it when you talk about food for the winter, water at the market, firewood for the fireplace and medicines at the chemist's — for example: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter."
Is abastecerse reflexive?
Yes. abastecerse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with abastecerse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo abastezco de comida para el invierno — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise abastecerse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.