Abordar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abordar means “to board, to tackle” 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. Abordar has two common meanings: to board, as in boarding a plane or a ship, and to tackle, as in tackling a problem or a topic. The boarding sense is the everyday one at airports and ports, while the tackling sense appears in meetings and in writing: abordar un tema means to take it up and deal with it. 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 abordar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abordar present tense page.

abordar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with abordar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo abordo el avión a Madrid. — I board the plane to Madrid.
  2. Él/Ella aborda el barco en el puerto. — He boards the boat in the port.
  3. Nosotros/as abordamos el tren a Barcelona. — We board the train to Barcelona.
  4. Ellos/as abordan el autobús en la estación. — They board the bus at the station.

In the past

Four sentences with abordar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo abordé el tren a Barcelona. — Yesterday, I boarded the train to Barcelona.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as abordábamos el autobús en la estación. — Before, We used to board the bus at the station.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella abordó el avión a Madrid. — Yesterday, He boarded the plane to Madrid.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as abordaban el barco en el puerto. — As children, They used to board the boat in the port.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with abordar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú abordarás el avión a Madrid. — Tomorrow, You will board the plane to Madrid.
  2. Yo abordaría el barco en el puerto. — I would board the boat in the port.
  3. Espero que él aborde el tren a Barcelona. — I hope he boards the train to Barcelona.
  4. Él/Ella ha abordado el autobús en la estación. — He has boarded the bus at the station.

abordar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú abordas el avión a Madrid mañana? — Are you going to board the plane to Madrid tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo abordo el avión a Madrid todos los días. — Yes, I board the plane to Madrid every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana abordarás el barco en el puerto? — And tomorrow, will you board the boat in the port? Luis: Claro, mañana abordaré el barco en el puerto sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will board the boat in the port without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo abordaré el tren a Barcelona también. — Perfect. I will board the train to Barcelona too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer abordé el tren a Barcelona. — Yesterday, I boarded the train to Barcelona. Ana: ¿Y antes abordabas el autobús en la estación? — And before, did you use to board the bus at the station? Luis: Sí, antes abordaba el autobús en la estación todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to board the bus at the station every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos abordaron el avión a Madrid? — And did your brothers boarded the plane to Madrid? Luis: Sí, ellos abordaron el avión a Madrid por la tarde. — Yes, they boarded the plane to Madrid in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aborda el avión a Madrid. — Right: Yo abordo el avión a Madrid. — The person matters: aborda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abordo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating abordar and embarcar as identical in every context. — Right: Abordar means to board, to tackle, while embarcar means to embark, to board a ship or plane. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abordar fits sentences such as Abordo el avión a Madrid, while embarcar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy abordado el barco en el puerto. — Right: Yo he abordado el barco en el puerto. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abordado, has abordado, ha abordado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo abordé el tren a Barcelona todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo abordaba el tren a Barcelona todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (abordaba), not the preterite. The preterite (abordé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on abordar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el autobús en la estación. (present tense) A. abordan B. abordo C. abordas D. aborda

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el avión a Madrid. (preterite tense) A. abordé B. abordaste C. abordó D. abordamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ el barco en el puerto. (imperfect tense) A. abordábamos B. abordabais C. abordabas D. abordaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el tren a Barcelona. (future tense) A. abordaremos B. abordará C. abordaré D. abordarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el autobús en la estación. (conditional tense) A. abordaríamos B. abordaría C. abordarías D. abordaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el avión a Madrid. (present-perfect tense) A. has abordado B. ha abordado C. hemos abordado D. he abordado

  7. What does abordar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to board, to tackle D. to embark, to board a ship or plane

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo abordé el tren a Barcelona. B. Yo aborda el avión a Madrid. C. Yo abordo el avión a Madrid. D. Él/Ella aborda el barco en el puerto.

  9. Which is the gerund of abordar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abordando B. abordado C. abordo D. abordé

  10. Which is the past participle of abordar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abordando B. abordo C. abordé D. abordado

Answer key

  1. abordan — The correct form here is abordan.
  2. abordamos — The correct form here is abordamos.
  3. abordabas — The correct form here is abordabas.
  4. abordará — The correct form here is abordará.
  5. abordaríamos — The correct form here is abordaríamos.
  6. he abordado — The correct form here is he abordado.
  7. to board, to tackle — Abordar means to board, to tackle. Embarcar means to embark, to board a ship or plane, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aborda el avión a Madrid. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo abordo el avión a Madrid.. The person matters: aborda is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abordo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. abordando — The gerund of abordar is abordando: estoy abordando.
  10. abordado — The past participle of abordar is abordado: he abordado, has abordado, ha abordado.

Frequently asked questions

What does abordar mean?

Abordar means to board, to tackle. Abordar has two common meanings: to board, as in boarding a plane or a ship, and to tackle, as in tackling a problem or a topic. The boarding sense is the everyday one at airports and ports, while the tackling sense appears in meetings and in writing: abordar un tema means to take it up and deal with it.

When do people use abordar most?

People use abordar most in everyday situations such as Yo abordo el avión a Madrid. and Ayer, Yo abordé el tren a Barcelona.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between abordar and embarcar?

Abordar means to board, to tackle, while embarcar means to embark, to board a ship or plane. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of abordar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of abordar as your reference, the abordar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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