Abonar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb abonar means to pay, to fertilise, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, abonar 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 abono la factura del mes, and in the preterite you say aboné la tierra del jardín. 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: abonar
- English: to pay, to fertilise
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: abonando
- Past participle: abonado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + abonado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abonar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Abonar is fully regular: abono, abona. Abonar una factura is paying it; abonar la tierra is feeding the soil.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for abonar. 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 | abono |
| tú | abonas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abona |
| nosotros/as | abonamos |
| vosotros/as | abonáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aboné |
| tú | abonaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | abonó |
| nosotros/as | abonamos |
| vosotros/as | abonasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abonaba |
| tú | abonabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abonaba |
| nosotros/as | abonábamos |
| vosotros/as | abonabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abonaré |
| tú | abonarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | abonará |
| nosotros/as | abonaremos |
| vosotros/as | abonaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abonaría |
| tú | abonarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | abonaría |
| nosotros/as | abonaríamos |
| vosotros/as | abonaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he abonado |
| tú | has abonado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha abonado |
| nosotros/as | hemos abonado |
| vosotros/as | habéis abonado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han abonado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había abonado |
| tú | habías abonado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había abonado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos abonado |
| vosotros/as | habíais abonado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían abonado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré abonado |
| tú | habrás abonado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá abonado |
| nosotros/as | habremos abonado |
| vosotros/as | habréis abonado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán abonado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría abonado |
| tú | habrías abonado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría abonado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos abonado |
| vosotros/as | habríais abonado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían abonado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abone |
| tú | abones |
| él/ella/Ud. | abone |
| nosotros/as | abonemos |
| vosotros/as | abonéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abonara |
| tú | abonaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abonara |
| nosotros/as | abonáramos |
| vosotros/as | abonarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abona |
| él/ella/Ud. | abone |
| nosotros/as | abonemos |
| vosotros/as | abonad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abones |
| él/ella/Ud. | abone |
| nosotros/as | abonemos |
| vosotros/as | abonéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abonen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | abonando | with estar for the progressive: estoy abonando |
| Past participle | abonado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he abonado |
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 abonar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Abono la factura del mes. 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 abonar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aboné el abono del teatro. 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 abonar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, abonaba la tierra del jardín. 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 abonar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, abonaré las plantas con abono natural. 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 abonar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Abonaría la factura del mes 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 abonar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he abonado el abono del teatro. 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 abonar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había abonado la tierra del jardín 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 abonar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré abonado las plantas con abono natural. 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 abonar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría abonado la factura del mes 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 abonar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él abone el abono del teatro. 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 abonar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él abonara la tierra del jardín, 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 abonar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Abona las plantas con abono natural! 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 abonar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No abones la factura del mes. 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 abonar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Abono la factura del mes. — I pay the monthly bill.
- Abona el abono del teatro. — He/she pays the theatre season ticket.
- Ayer, aboné la tierra del jardín. — Yesterday, I paid the garden soil.
- Antes, nosotros abonábamos las plantas con abono natural. — Before, we used to pay the plants with natural fertiliser.
- Mañana, tú abonarás la factura del mes. — Tomorrow, you will pay the monthly bill.
- Yo abonaría el abono del teatro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would pay the theatre season ticket if I had more time.
- Él ha abonado la tierra del jardín. — He has paid the garden soil.
- Espero que él abone las plantas con abono natural. — I hope he pays the plants with natural fertiliser.
- Yo ya había abonado la factura del mes antes de salir. — I had already paid the monthly bill before leaving.
- Ellos abonaban el abono del teatro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to pay the theatre season ticket when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo abona la factura del mes. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Ayer yo abono el abono del teatro. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Treating abonar and pagar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy abonado el abono del teatro. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo aboné la tierra del jardín todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on abonar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la factura del mes. (present tense) A. abono B. abonas C. abona D. abonamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el abono del teatro. (preterite) A. aboné B. abonaste C. abonaron D. abonó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la tierra del jardín. (imperfect) A. abonabas B. abonaban C. abonábamos D. abonaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las plantas con abono natural. (future) A. abonaremos B. abonarás C. abonaré D. abonará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la factura del mes si pudiera. (conditional) A. abonaría B. abonarías C. abonarían D. abono
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el abono del teatro. (present subjunctive) A. abones B. abonemos C. abono D. abone
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la tierra del jardín, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. abonáramos B. abono C. abonara D. abonaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las plantas con abono natural. (present perfect) A. han abonado B. hemos abonado C. he abonado D. has abonado
Complete the command: ¡___ la factura del mes! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. abona B. abone C. abonemos D. abonad
Which is the gerund of abonar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abonado B. abono C. aboné D. abonando
Answer key
- abono — The first-person present of abonar is abono. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- abonó — The third-person preterite of abonar is abonó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- abonábamos — The nosotros imperfect of abonar is abonábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- abonarás — The second-person future of abonar is abonarás.
- abonaría — The first-person conditional of abonar is abonaría, the form for what would happen.
- abone — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of abonar is abone.
- abonara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of abonar is abonara.
- hemos abonado — The nosotros present perfect of abonar is hemos abonado: hemos + abonado.
- abona — The affirmative tú imperative of abonar is abona.
- abonando — The gerund of abonar is abonando: estoy abonando. The participle abonado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does abonar mean in English?
Abonar means to pay, to fertilise. It is used in everyday situations such as Abono la factura del mes. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is abonar regular or irregular?
Abonar is a fully regular -ar 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 abono in the present and aboné in the preterite.
What is the difference between abonar and pagar?
Abonar means to pay, to fertilise, while pagar means to pay, in general. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use abonar when you mean to pay, to fertilise, as in Abono la factura del mes, and use pagar for to pay, in general. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I pay” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aboné el abono del teatro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo abonaba la tierra del jardín. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he abonado el abono del teatro.
How do I practise abonar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the abonar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Abonar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for abonar.
- Abonar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for abonar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- 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.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.