Abonar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of abonar — “to pay, to fertilise” 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 abonar 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Abono la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of abonar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: abonar
Every person of abonar in the present tense. The gerund is abonando and the past participle is abonado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abono |
| tú | abonas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abona |
| nosotros/as | abonamos |
| vosotros/as | abonáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonan |
How the present indicative of abonar is formed
The present indicative of abonar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 | abono |
| tú | -as | abonas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | abona |
| nosotros/as | -amos | abonamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | abonáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | abonan |
Abonar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is abon- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of abonar is abonando and the past participle is abonado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of abonar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and abonar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and abonar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo abono la factura del mes todos los días.” — “I pay the monthly bill every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él abona el abono del teatro.” — “He/she pays the theatre season ticket.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so abono can mean both “I pay” and “I am paying”.
“Ahora mismo, yo abono la tierra del jardín.” — “Right now, I pay the garden soil.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo abono las plantas con abono natural.” — “Tomorrow, I will pay the plants with natural fertiliser.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú abonas la factura del mes?” — “Do you pay the monthly bill?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Abona el abono del teatro. — “He/she pays the theatre season ticket.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Abonó el abono del teatro. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Abonan la tierra del jardín. — “They pay the garden soil.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Abonaban la tierra del jardín. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Abonas las plantas con abono natural. — “You pay the plants with natural fertiliser.”
- Future — what will happen: Abonarás las plantas con abono natural. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: abonar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show abonar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo abono la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.”
- Tú abonas el abono del teatro. — “You pay the theatre season ticket.”
- Él abona la tierra del jardín. — “He pays the garden soil.”
- Nosotros abonamos las plantas con abono natural. — “We pay the plants with natural fertiliser.”
- Vosotros abonáis la factura del mes. — “You (plural) pay the monthly bill.”
- Ellos abonan el abono del teatro. — “They pay the theatre season ticket.”
- ¿Tú abonas la tierra del jardín? — “Do you pay the garden soil?”
Common mistakes with abonar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with abonar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo abonar la factura del mes. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo abono la factura del mes.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of abonar is abono, not the infinitive abonar.
✗ Vosotros abonais la factura del mes. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros abonáis la factura del mes.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: abonáis, not abonais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo abono el abono del teatro. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing abonar with pagar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: abonar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of abonar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of abonar for tú?
- a) abonas
- b) abono
- c) abona
- d) abonan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.”
- a) abona
- b) abonamos
- c) abonas
- d) abono
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el abono del teatro. — “He/she pays the theatre season ticket.” (present tense)
- a) abonaba
- b) abonará
- c) abona
- d) abonó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of abonar for nosotros?
- a) abonan
- b) abonamos
- c) abono
- d) abona
5. Which sentence uses abonar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él abonó el abono del teatro.
- b) Él abona el abono del teatro.
- c) Él abonará el abono del teatro.
- d) Ellos abona el abono del teatro.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la tierra del jardín. — “They pay the garden soil.”
- a) abono
- b) abona
- c) abonamos
- d) abonan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ las plantas con abono natural? — “Do you pay the plants with natural fertiliser?”
- a) abona
- b) abonarás
- c) abonas
- d) abono
8. What is the gerund of abonar?
- a) aboné
- b) abonando
- c) abonado
- d) abono
Answer key
a) abonas — The tú form is abonas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; abono is yo, abona is él/ella and abonan is ellos/ellas.
d) abono — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: abono. The other options are the wrong person.
c) abona — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: abona. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) abonamos — Nosotros takes abonamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él abona el abono del teatro. — Él abona el abono del teatro. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) abonan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is abonan.
c) abonas — The question needs the tú form in the present: abonas.
b) abonando — The gerund is abonando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle abonado.
Frequently asked questions
Is abonar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Abonar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: abono, abonas, abona, abonamos, abonáis and abonan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of abonar?
The gerund is abonando and the past participle is abonado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I pay” in Spanish?
Say abono. For example: Abono la factura del mes. — “I pay the monthly bill.”
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”. The full conjugation of abonar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of abonar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- abonar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Abrochar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abonar.
- Adiestrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abonar.
- Domesticar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abonar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.