Abatir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb abatir means to knock down, to depress, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, abatir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say abato el árbol durante la tormenta, and in the preterite you say abatí la moral del equipo. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: abatir
  • English: to knock down, to depress
  • Verb type: regular -ir verb
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: abatiendo
  • Past participle: abatido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + abatido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abatir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Abatir is a regular -ir verb, so the forms follow the standard pattern: abatí, abatía, abatiré.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for abatir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

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

Preterite

Person Form
yo abatí
tú abatiste
él/ella/Ud. abatió
nosotros/as abatimos
vosotros/as abatisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo abatía
tú abatías
él/ella/Ud. abatía
nosotros/as abatíamos
vosotros/as abatíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatían

Future

Person Form
yo abatiré
tú abatirás
él/ella/Ud. abatirá
nosotros/as abatiremos
vosotros/as abatiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatirán

Conditional

Person Form
yo abatiría
tú abatirías
él/ella/Ud. abatiría
nosotros/as abatiríamos
vosotros/as abatiríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatirían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he abatido
tú has abatido
él/ella/Ud. ha abatido
nosotros/as hemos abatido
vosotros/as habéis abatido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han abatido

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había abatido
tú habías abatido
él/ella/Ud. había abatido
nosotros/as habíamos abatido
vosotros/as habíais abatido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían abatido

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré abatido
tú habrás abatido
él/ella/Ud. habrá abatido
nosotros/as habremos abatido
vosotros/as habréis abatido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán abatido

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría abatido
tú habrías abatido
él/ella/Ud. habría abatido
nosotros/as habríamos abatido
vosotros/as habríais abatido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían abatido

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo abata
tú abatas
él/ella/Ud. abata
nosotros/as abatamos
vosotros/as abatáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo abatiera
tú abatieras
él/ella/Ud. abatiera
nosotros/as abatiéramos
vosotros/as abatierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú abate
él/ella/Ud. abata
nosotros/as abatamos
vosotros/as abatid
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú abatas
él/ella/Ud. abata
nosotros/as abatamos
vosotros/as abatáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. abatan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund abatiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy abatiendo
Past participle abatido with haber for the perfect tenses: he abatido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Abato el árbol durante la tormenta. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, abatí al enemigo en la batalla. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, abatía la moral del equipo. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, abatiré el avión en el combate. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Abatiría el árbol durante la tormenta si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he abatido al enemigo en la batalla. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había abatido la moral del equipo antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré abatido el avión en el combate. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría abatido el árbol durante la tormenta con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él abata al enemigo en la batalla. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él abatiera la moral del equipo, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡abate el avión en el combate! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For abatir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No abatas el árbol durante la tormenta. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with abatir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Abato el árbol durante la tormenta. — I knock down the tree during the storm.
  2. Abate al enemigo en la batalla. — He/she knocks down the enemy in battle.
  3. Ayer, abatí la moral del equipo. — Yesterday, I knocked down the team's morale.
  4. Antes, nosotros abatíamos el avión en el combate. — Before, we used to knock down the plane in combat.
  5. Mañana, tú abatirás el árbol durante la tormenta. — Tomorrow, you will knock down the tree during the storm.
  6. Yo abatiría al enemigo en la batalla si tuviera más tiempo. — I would knock down the enemy in battle if I had more time.
  7. Él ha abatido la moral del equipo. — He has knocked down the team's morale.
  8. Espero que él abata el avión en el combate. — I hope he knocks down the plane in combat.
  9. Yo ya había abatido el árbol durante la tormenta antes de salir. — I had already knocked down the tree during the storm before leaving.
  10. Ellos abatían al enemigo en la batalla cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to knock down the enemy in battle when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al enemigo en la batalla. (preterite) A. abatí B. abatiste C. abatieron D. abatió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la moral del equipo. (imperfect) A. abatías B. abatían C. abatíamos D. abatía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el avión en el combate. (future) A. abatiremos B. abatirás C. abatiré D. abatirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el árbol durante la tormenta si pudiera. (conditional) A. abatiría B. abatirías C. abatirían D. abato

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al enemigo en la batalla. (present subjunctive) A. abatas B. abatamos C. abato D. abata

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la moral del equipo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. abatiéramos B. abato C. abatiera D. abatieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el avión en el combate. (present perfect) A. han abatido B. hemos abatido C. he abatido D. has abatido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el árbol durante la tormenta! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. abate B. abata C. abatamos D. abatid

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

Answer key

  1. abato — The first-person present of abatir is abato. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. abatió — The third-person preterite of abatir is abatió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. abatíamos — The nosotros imperfect of abatir is abatíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. abatirás — The second-person future of abatir is abatirás.
  5. abatiría — The first-person conditional of abatir is abatiría, the form for what would happen.
  6. abata — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of abatir is abata.
  7. abatiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of abatir is abatiera.
  8. hemos abatido — The nosotros present perfect of abatir is hemos abatido: hemos + abatido.
  9. abate — The affirmative tú imperative of abatir is abate.
  10. abatiendo — The gerund of abatir is abatiendo: estoy abatiendo. The participle abatido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does abatir mean in English?

Abatir means to knock down, to depress. It is used in everyday situations such as Abato el árbol durante la tormenta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is abatir regular or irregular?

Abatir is a fully regular -ir verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including abato in the present and abatí in the preterite.

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 are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use abatir when you mean to knock down, to depress, as in Abato el árbol durante la tormenta, and use derribar for to knock down a building or structure. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I knock down” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo abatí al enemigo en la batalla. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo abatía la moral del equipo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he abatido al enemigo en la batalla.

How do I practise abatir?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the abatir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links