Abordar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb abordar means to board, to tackle, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, abordar 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 abordo el avión a Madrid, and in the preterite you say abordé el tren a Barcelona. 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: abordar
- English: to board, to tackle
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: abordando
- Past participle: abordado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + abordado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for abordar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Do not confuse the two senses: abordar el avión is boarding, while abordar el problema is tackling it — the object tells you which one it is.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for abordar. 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 | abordo |
| tú | abordas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aborda |
| nosotros/as | abordamos |
| vosotros/as | abordáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abordé |
| tú | abordaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | abordó |
| nosotros/as | abordamos |
| vosotros/as | abordasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abordaba |
| tú | abordabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abordaba |
| nosotros/as | abordábamos |
| vosotros/as | abordabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abordaré |
| tú | abordarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | abordará |
| nosotros/as | abordaremos |
| vosotros/as | abordaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abordaría |
| tú | abordarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | abordaría |
| nosotros/as | abordaríamos |
| vosotros/as | abordaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he abordado |
| tú | has abordado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha abordado |
| nosotros/as | hemos abordado |
| vosotros/as | habéis abordado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han abordado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había abordado |
| tú | habías abordado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había abordado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos abordado |
| vosotros/as | habíais abordado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían abordado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré abordado |
| tú | habrás abordado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá abordado |
| nosotros/as | habremos abordado |
| vosotros/as | habréis abordado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán abordado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría abordado |
| tú | habrías abordado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría abordado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos abordado |
| vosotros/as | habríais abordado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían abordado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aborde |
| tú | abordes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aborde |
| nosotros/as | abordemos |
| vosotros/as | abordéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aborden |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abordara |
| tú | abordaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | abordara |
| nosotros/as | abordáramos |
| vosotros/as | abordarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abordaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aborda |
| él/ella/Ud. | aborde |
| nosotros/as | abordemos |
| vosotros/as | abordad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aborden |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | abordes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aborde |
| nosotros/as | abordemos |
| vosotros/as | abordéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aborden |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | abordando | with estar for the progressive: estoy abordando |
| Past participle | abordado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he abordado |
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 abordar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Abordo el avión a Madrid. 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 abordar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, abordé el barco en el puerto. 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 abordar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, abordaba el tren a Barcelona. 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 abordar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, abordaré el autobús en la estación. 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 abordar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Abordaría el avión a Madrid 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 abordar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he abordado el barco en el puerto. 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 abordar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había abordado el tren a Barcelona 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 abordar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré abordado el autobús en la estación. 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 abordar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría abordado el avión a Madrid 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 abordar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aborde el barco en el puerto. 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 abordar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él abordara el tren a Barcelona, 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 abordar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aborda el autobús en la estación! 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 abordar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No abordes el avión a Madrid. 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 abordar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Abordo el avión a Madrid. — I board the plane to Madrid.
- Aborda el barco en el puerto. — He/she boards the boat in the port.
- Ayer, abordé el tren a Barcelona. — Yesterday, I boarded the train to Barcelona.
- Antes, nosotros abordábamos el autobús en la estación. — Before, we used to board the bus at the station.
- Mañana, tú abordarás el avión a Madrid. — Tomorrow, you will board the plane to Madrid.
- Yo abordaría el barco en el puerto si tuviera más tiempo. — I would board the boat in the port if I had more time.
- Él ha abordado el tren a Barcelona. — He has boarded the train to Barcelona.
- Espero que él aborde el autobús en la estación. — I hope he boards the bus at the station.
- Yo ya había abordado el avión a Madrid antes de salir. — I had already boarded the plane to Madrid before leaving.
- Ellos abordaban el barco en el puerto cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to board the boat in the port when they were young.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el avión a Madrid. (present tense) A. abordo B. abordas C. aborda D. abordamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el barco en el puerto. (preterite) A. abordé B. abordaste C. abordaron D. abordó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el tren a Barcelona. (imperfect) A. abordabas B. abordaban C. abordábamos D. abordaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el autobús en la estación. (future) A. abordaremos B. abordarás C. abordaré D. abordará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el avión a Madrid si pudiera. (conditional) A. abordaría B. abordarías C. abordarían D. abordo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el barco en el puerto. (present subjunctive) A. abordes B. abordemos C. abordo D. aborde
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el tren a Barcelona, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. abordáramos B. abordo C. abordara D. abordaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el autobús en la estación. (present perfect) A. han abordado B. hemos abordado C. he abordado D. has abordado
Complete the command: ¡___ el avión a Madrid! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aborda B. aborde C. abordemos D. abordad
Which is the gerund of abordar, used with estar for the progressive? A. abordado B. abordo C. abordé D. abordando
Answer key
- abordo — The first-person present of abordar is abordo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- abordó — The third-person preterite of abordar is abordó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- abordábamos — The nosotros imperfect of abordar is abordábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- abordarás — The second-person future of abordar is abordarás.
- abordaría — The first-person conditional of abordar is abordaría, the form for what would happen.
- aborde — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of abordar is aborde.
- abordara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of abordar is abordara.
- hemos abordado — The nosotros present perfect of abordar is hemos abordado: hemos + abordado.
- aborda — The affirmative tú imperative of abordar is aborda.
- abordando — The gerund of abordar is abordando: estoy abordando. The participle abordado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does abordar mean in English?
Abordar means to board, to tackle. It is used in everyday situations such as Abordo el avión a Madrid. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is abordar regular or irregular?
Abordar 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 abordo in the present and abordé in the preterite.
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 are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use abordar when you mean to board, to tackle, as in Abordo el avión a Madrid, and use embarcar for to embark, to board a ship or plane. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I board” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo abordé el barco en el puerto. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo abordaba el tren a Barcelona. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he abordado el barco en el puerto.
How do I practise abordar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the abordar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Abordar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for abordar.
- Abordar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for abordar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Abandonar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abordar.
- Abusar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abordar.
- Abarcar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with abordar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.