Abatir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abatir means “to knock down, to depress” 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. Abatir means to knock down or to depress. In its physical sense it knocks down trees, planes and enemies; in its emotional sense it depresses a person, as in la noticia me abate, the news depresses me. The two senses share the idea of bringing something low, whether a building or a person's spirits. 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 abatir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abatir present tense page.

abatir in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. — I knock down the tree during the storm.
  2. Él/Ella abate al enemigo en la batalla. — He knocks down the enemy in battle.
  3. Nosotros/as abatimos la moral del equipo. — We knock down the team's morale.
  4. Ellos/as abaten el avión en el combate. — They knock down the plane in combat.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo abatí la moral del equipo. — Yesterday, I knocked down the team's morale.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as abatíamos el avión en el combate. — Before, We used to knock down the plane in combat.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella abatió el árbol durante la tormenta. — Yesterday, He knocked down the tree during the storm.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as abatían al enemigo en la batalla. — As children, They used to knock down the enemy in battle.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú abatirás el árbol durante la tormenta. — Tomorrow, You will knock down the tree during the storm.
  2. Yo abatiría al enemigo en la batalla. — I would knock down the enemy in battle.
  3. Espero que él abata la moral del equipo. — I hope he knocks down the team's morale.
  4. Él/Ella ha abatido el avión en el combate. — He has knocked down the plane in combat.

abatir in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú abates el árbol durante la tormenta mañana? — Are you going to knock down the tree during the storm tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta todos los días. — Yes, I knock down the tree during the storm every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana abatirás al enemigo en la batalla? — And tomorrow, will you knock down the enemy in battle? Luis: Claro, mañana abatiré al enemigo en la batalla sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will knock down the enemy in battle without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo abatiré la moral del equipo también. — Perfect. I will knock down the team's morale too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer abatí la moral del equipo. — Yesterday, I knocked down the team's morale. Ana: ¿Y antes abatías el avión en el combate? — And before, did you use to knock down the plane in combat? Luis: Sí, antes abatía el avión en el combate todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to knock down the plane in combat every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos abatieron el árbol durante la tormenta? — And did your brothers knocked down the tree during the storm? Luis: Sí, ellos abatieron el árbol durante la tormenta por la tarde. — Yes, they knocked down the tree during the storm in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo abate el árbol durante la tormenta. — Right: Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. — The person matters: abate is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abato. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating abatir and derribar as identical in every context. — Right: Abatir means to knock down, to depress, while derribar means to knock down a building or structure. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abatir fits sentences such as Abato el árbol durante la tormenta, while derribar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy abatido al enemigo en la batalla. — Right: Yo he abatido al enemigo en la batalla. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abatido, has abatido, ha abatido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo abatí la moral del equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abatía la moral del equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abatía), not the preterite. The preterite (abatí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el avión en el combate. (present tense) A. abaten B. abato C. abates D. abate

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el árbol durante la tormenta. (preterite tense) A. abatí B. abatiste C. abatió D. abatimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al enemigo en la batalla. (imperfect tense) A. abatíamos B. abatíais C. abatías D. abatía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la moral del equipo. (future tense) A. abatiremos B. abatirá C. abatiré D. abatirás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el avión en el combate. (conditional tense) A. abatiríamos B. abatiría C. abatirías D. abatiríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el árbol durante la tormenta. (present-perfect tense) A. has abatido B. ha abatido C. hemos abatido D. he abatido

  7. What does abatir mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to knock down, to depress D. to knock down a building or structure

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo abatí la moral del equipo. B. Yo abate el árbol durante la tormenta. C. Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. D. Él/Ella abate al enemigo en la batalla.

  9. Which is the gerund of abatir, used with estar for the progressive? A. abatiendo B. abatido C. abato D. abatí

  10. Which is the past participle of abatir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abatiendo B. abato C. abatí D. abatido

Answer key

  1. abaten — The correct form here is abaten.
  2. abatimos — The correct form here is abatimos.
  3. abatías — The correct form here is abatías.
  4. abatirá — The correct form here is abatirá.
  5. abatiríamos — The correct form here is abatiríamos.
  6. he abatido — The correct form here is he abatido.
  7. to knock down, to depress — Abatir means to knock down, to depress. Derribar means to knock down a building or structure, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo abate el árbol durante la tormenta. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta.. The person matters: abate is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abato. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. abatiendo — The gerund of abatir is abatiendo: estoy abatiendo.
  10. abatido — The past participle of abatir is abatido: he abatido, has abatido, ha abatido.

Frequently asked questions

What does abatir mean?

Abatir means to knock down, to depress. Abatir means to knock down or to depress. In its physical sense it knocks down trees, planes and enemies; in its emotional sense it depresses a person, as in la noticia me abate, the news depresses me. The two senses share the idea of bringing something low, whether a building or a person's spirits.

When do people use abatir most?

People use abatir most in everyday situations such as Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. and Ayer, Yo abatí la moral del equipo.. 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 abatir and derribar?

Abatir means to knock down, to depress, while derribar means to knock down a building or structure. 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 abatir?

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

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