Abonar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abonar means “to pay, to fertilise” 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. Abonar means to pay a sum of money, such as a bill or a subscription, and also to fertilise soil or plants. The two meanings share the idea of adding something useful — money or nutrients — and the verb is fully regular. 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 abonar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abonar present tense page.

abonar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo abono la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.”
  2. Él abona el abono del teatro. — “He pays the theatre season ticket.”
  3. Nosotros abonamos la tierra del jardín. — “We pay the garden soil.”
  4. Ellos abonan las plantas con abono natural. — “They pay the plants with natural fertiliser.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo aboné el abono del teatro. — “Yesterday, I paid the theatre season ticket.”
  2. Antes, nosotros abonábamos la tierra del jardín. — “Before, we used to pay the garden soil.”
  3. Él abonó las plantas con abono natural. — “He paid the plants with natural fertiliser.”
  4. Yo ya había abonado la factura del mes antes de salir. — “I had already paid the monthly bill before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú abonarás la factura del mes. — “Tomorrow, you will pay the monthly bill.”
  2. Yo abonaría el abono del teatro si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would pay the theatre season ticket if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha abonado la tierra del jardín. — “He has paid the garden soil.”
  4. Espero que él abone las plantas con abono natural. — “I hope he pays the plants with natural fertiliser.”

abonar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use abonar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo abono la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.”
  • Bea: Él abona el abono del teatro. — “He pays the theatre season ticket.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo aboné el abono del teatro. — “Yesterday, I paid the theatre season ticket.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú abonarás la factura del mes. — “Tomorrow, you will pay the monthly bill.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros abonamos la tierra del jardín. — “We pay the garden soil.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros abonábamos la tierra del jardín. — “Before, we used to pay the garden soil.”
  • Luis: Yo abonaría el abono del teatro si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would pay the theatre season ticket if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él abone las plantas con abono natural. — “I hope he pays the plants with natural fertiliser.”

A short scene with abonar

A short scene shows how abonar works across the day. In the morning: Abono la factura del mes. In the afternoon: Abona el abono del teatro. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, aboné la tierra del jardín. And tomorrow: Mañana, abonaré las plantas con abono natural. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how abonar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with abonar

The errors learners actually make with abonar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo abona la factura del mes.

✓ Correct: Yo abono la factura del mes.

The person matters: abona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo abono el abono del teatro.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo aboné el abono del teatro.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: abono is happening now, while aboné is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating abonar and pagar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Abonar means to pay, to fertilise, while pagar means to pay, in general.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abonar fits sentences such as Abono la factura del mes, while pagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy abonado el abono del teatro.

✓ Correct: Yo he abonado el abono del teatro.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abonado, has abonado, ha abonado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo aboné la tierra del jardín todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo abonaba la tierra del jardín todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abonaba), not the preterite. The preterite (aboné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: abonar in use

Ten questions on abonar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el abono del teatro. — “He/she pays the theatre season ticket.”

  • a) abona
  • b) abono
  • c) abonas
  • d) abonamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la tierra del jardín. — “Yesterday, I paid the garden soil.”

  • a) abonaste
  • b) abonó
  • c) abonaron
  • d) aboné

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ las plantas con abono natural cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to pay the plants with natural fertiliser when they were young.”

  • a) abonabas
  • b) abonábamos
  • c) abonaban
  • d) abonaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ la factura del mes. — “Tomorrow, we will pay the monthly bill.”

  • a) abonarán
  • b) abonaremos
  • c) abonaré
  • d) abonarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el abono del teatro si pudiera. — “He would pay the theatre season ticket if he could.”

  • a) abonaría
  • b) abonarías
  • c) abonaríamos
  • d) abono

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la tierra del jardín. — “I have paid the garden soil.”

  • a) has abonado
  • b) ha abonado
  • c) han abonado
  • d) he abonado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ las plantas con abono natural. — “I hope you pay the plants with natural fertiliser.”

  • a) abonemos
  • b) abono
  • c) abones
  • d) abone

8. Which is the past participle of abonar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) aboné
  • b) abonado
  • c) abonando
  • d) abono

9. What does abonar mean in English?

  • a) to pay, to fertilise
  • b) to pay, in general
  • c) to button up, to fasten
  • d) to absorb

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él abona el abono del teatro.
  • b) Él abono el abono del teatro.
  • c) Nosotros abona la tierra del jardín.
  • d) Yo abona la factura del mes.

Answer key

  1. a) abona — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: abona.

  2. d) aboné — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: aboné, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) abonaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: abonaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) abonaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: abonaremos.

  5. a) abonaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: abonaría.

  6. d) he abonado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he abonado, haber + abonado.

  7. c) abones — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is abones.

  8. b) abonado — The past participle is abonado: he abonado, has abonado, ha abonado. The gerund abonando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to pay, to fertilise — abonar means to pay, to fertilise. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él abona el abono del teatro. — Él abona el abono del teatro. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use abonar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Abono la factura del mes and Abona el abono del teatro. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between abonar and pagar?

Abonar means “to pay, to fertilise”, while pagar means “to pay, in general”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use abonar when you mean “to pay, to fertilise” and pagar when you mean “to pay, in general”.

Which tense do I need most with abonar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use abonar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is abonar formal or informal?

Abonar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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