Abastecerse Present Tense in Spanish
abastecerse means "to stock up" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for abastecerse, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of abastecerse: full table
Every person of abastecerse in the present tense. The gerund is abasteciéndose and the past participle is abastecido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me abastezco |
| tú | te abasteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | se abastece |
| nosotros/as | nos abastecemos |
| vosotros/as | os abastecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se abastecen |
The gerund of abastecerse is abasteciéndose and the past participle is abastecido. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy abasteciéndose), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (me he abastecido). Because abastecerse is reflexive, every present-tense form carries its pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se.
How the present tense of abastecerse is formed
The present tense of abastecerse is built from the stem abastec- plus the regular -er endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Take the infinitive, remove the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo me abastezco, tú te abasteces, él se abastece, nosotros nos abastecemos, vosotros os abastecéis and ellos se abastecen. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me abastezco |
| tú | -es | te abasteces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se abastece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos abastecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os abastecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se abastecen |
Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is abastezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example abastezca.
abastecerse is a reflexive verb, so every form carries a reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se. The pronoun always goes before the conjugated verb in the present tense. The gerund is abasteciéndose, with the pronoun attached to the end, and the past participle is abastecido.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is abasteciéndose, used for the progressive with estar: estoy abasteciéndose. The past participle is abastecido, used with haber in all perfect tenses: me he abastecido. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with abastecerse
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." The complement in this sentence is about food for the winter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abastecerse in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú te abasteces de agua en el mercado. — "Now, you stock up with water at the market." The complement in this sentence is about water at the market, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abastecerse in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él se abastece de leña para la chimenea. — "Normally, he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace." The complement in this sentence is about firewood for the fireplace, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abastecerse in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros nos abastecemos de medicinas en la farmacia. — "Tomorrow, we stock up with medicines at the chemist's." The complement in this sentence is about medicines at the chemist's, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abastecerse in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos se abastecen de comida para el invierno. — "Always, they stock up with food for the winter." The complement in this sentence is about food for the winter, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abastecerse in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: abastecerse
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with abastecerse.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo me abastecí de comida para el invierno. — "Yesterday, I stocked up with food for the winter."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú te abasteces de agua en el mercado. — "Every day, you stock up with water at the market."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú te abasteciste de agua en el mercado. — "Yesterday, you stocked up with water at the market."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él se abastece de leña para la chimenea. — "Every day, he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él se abasteció de leña para la chimenea. — "Yesterday, he/she stocked up with firewood for the fireplace."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: abastecerse in the present tense
These eight sentences show abastecerse in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "I stock up with food for the winter."
- Tú te abasteces de agua en el mercado. — "you stock up with water at the market."
- Él se abastece de leña para la chimenea. — "he/she stocks up with firewood for the fireplace."
- Nosotros nos abastecemos de medicinas en la farmacia. — "we stock up with medicines at the chemist's."
- Vosotros os abastecéis de comida para el invierno. — "you (plural) stock up with food for the winter."
- Ellos se abastecen de agua en el mercado. — "they stock up with water at the market."
- Yo me abastezco de leña para la chimenea. — "I stock up with firewood for the fireplace."
- Tú te abasteces de medicinas en la farmacia. — "you stock up with medicines at the chemist's."
Common mistakes with abastecerse in the present tense
Mistake 1: Forgetting the zc spelling change
- Wrong: Yo me abasteco de comida para el invierno.
- Right: Yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno.
- Why: In the present tense the c becomes zc before o: the yo form is abastezco, never abasteco. The other persons keep the plain c: abasteces, abastece.
Mistake 2: 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 comes before the verb: me abastezco. The bare form alone is not a complete reflexive sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo me abastezco de leña para la chimenea.
- Right: Antes, yo me abastecía de leña para la chimenea.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo me abastecía de leña para la chimenea. — "In the past, I used to stock up with firewood for the fireplace." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of abastecerse
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of abastecerse in the present tense?
- (a) abastece
- (b) abastecemos
- (c) abastezco
- (d) abasteces
Answer: (b) abastecemos. The nosotros form is abastecemos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of abastecerse in the present tense?
- (a) abastecen
- (b) abastezco
- (c) abasteces
- (d) abastece
Answer: (a) abastecen. The ellos/ellas form is abastecen. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ de comida para el invierno.
- (a) abasteces
- (b) abastece
- (c) abastecemos
- (d) abastezco
Answer: (d) abastezco. The sentence needs the yo form abastezco (Every day, I stock up with food for the winter.)
7. What is the gerund of abastecerse?
- (a) abastecido
- (b) abastezco
- (c) abastecerse
- (d) abasteciendo
Answer: (d) abasteciendo. The gerund is abasteciendo, used for the progressive: me estoy abasteciendo.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado.
- (b) Mañana, yo me abasteceré de agua en el mercado.
- (c) Cada día, yo me abastezco de agua en el mercado.
- (d) Antes, yo me abastecía de agua en el mercado.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo me abastezco de agua en el mercado.. Cada día, yo me abastezco de agua en el mercado. (Every day, I stock up with water at the market.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo me abasteceré de agua en el mercado. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of abastecerse
Is abastecerse regular in the present tense?
Almost. abastecerse is a spelling-changing (c → zc before o and a) -er verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the c becomes zc before o and a, so the yo form is abastezco and the subjunctive forms start with zc, for example abastezca.
How do you say 'stock up' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo me abastezco de comida para el invierno. — "Every day, I stock up with food for the winter." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with abastecerse?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo me abastezco de agua en el mercado. — "Every day, I stock up with water at the market." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo me abastecí de agua en el mercado. — "Yesterday, I stocked up with water at the market." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with abastecerse?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros nos abastecemos de medicinas en la farmacia. — "Tomorrow, we stock up with medicines at the chemist's." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.