Abatir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of abatir — “to knock down, to depress” 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 abatir 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. 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. Abatir is a regular -ir verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Abato el árbol durante la tormenta.

Present tense conjugation table: abatir

Every person of abatir in the present tense. The gerund is abatiendo and the past participle is abatido.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo abato
tú abates
él/ella/Ud. abate
nosotros/as abatimos
vosotros/as abatís
ellos/ellas/Uds. abaten

How the present of abatir is formed

The present of abatir is built from the stem abat- plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir 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 abato
tú -es abates
él/ella/Ud. -e abate
nosotros/as -imos abatimos
vosotros/as -ís abatís
ellos/ellas/Uds. -en abaten

For abatir there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem abat- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.

When to use the present tense with abatir

Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly.

Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. — I knock down the tree during the storm.

General facts

Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.

Él/Ella abate al enemigo en la batalla. — He knocks down the enemy in battle.

What is happening right now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment.

Ahora, Nosotros/as abatimos la moral del equipo. — Right now, We knock down the team's morale.

Near-future plans

Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.

Mañana, Tú abates el avión en el combate. — Tomorrow, You knock down the plane in combat.

Instructions and timeless statements

Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.

Él/Ella abate el árbol durante la tormenta. — He knocks down the tree during the storm.

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 abatir.

  1. Yo abato el árbol durante la tormenta. — I knock down the tree during the storm. / Ayer, Yo abatí el árbol durante la tormenta. — Yesterday, I knocked down the tree during the storm.
  2. Yo abato al enemigo en la batalla. — I knock down the enemy in battle. / Ayer, Yo abatí al enemigo en la batalla. — Yesterday, I knocked down the enemy in battle.
  3. Yo abato la moral del equipo. — I knock down the team's morale. / Ayer, Yo abatí la moral del equipo. — Yesterday, I knocked down the team's morale.

Example sentences in the present tense

Seven sentences with abatir in the present tense only, covering all six persons.

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

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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo abato al enemigo en la batalla. — Right: Ayer, yo abatí al enemigo en la batalla. — With ayer, use the preterite (abatí), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
  3. Wrong: Using abatir where derribar belongs. — Right: Abatir means to knock down, to depress, while derribar means to knock down a building or structure. — Check the meaning before you choose: abatir fits Abato el árbol durante la tormenta.
  4. Wrong: Espero que él abate al enemigo en la batalla. — Right: Espero que él abata al enemigo en la batalla. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: abata, not the present indicative abate.

Quiz: the present tense of abatir

Eight questions on the present tense of abatir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el árbol durante la tormenta. (present tense, yo) A. abato B. abates C. abate D. abatimos

  2. Complete the sentence: Tú ___ al enemigo en la batalla. (present tense, tú) A. abato B. abate C. abatimos D. abates

  3. Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la moral del equipo. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. abates B. abatimos C. abate D. abato

  4. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el avión en el combate. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. abate B. abatimos C. abato D. abates

  5. Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el árbol durante la tormenta. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. abatís B. abato C. abates D. abate

  6. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al enemigo en la batalla. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. abato B. abates C. abate D. abaten

  7. Which is the gerund of abatir? A. abato B. abatí C. abatiendo D. abatido

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

Answer key

  1. abato — The yo present form of abatir is abato.
  2. abates — The tú present form of abatir is abates.
  3. abate — The él/ella/Ud. present form of abatir is abate.
  4. abatimos — The nosotros/as present form of abatir is abatimos.
  5. abatís — The vosotros/as present form of abatir is abatís.
  6. abaten — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of abatir is abaten.
  7. abatiendo — The gerund of abatir is abatiendo: estoy abatiendo.
  8. abatido — The past participle of abatir is abatido: he abatido, has abatido, ha abatido.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present tense of abatir formed?

Take the infinitive abatir, drop the -ir ending to get the stem abat-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of abatir is fully regular: the stem abat- plus the standard -ir endings gives every form.

When do I use the present tense of abatir?

Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Abato el árbol durante la tormenta.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of abatir?

The present (abato) and the preterite (abatí) 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 abatir?

Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of abatir to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the abatir examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.

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