Aborrecer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aborrecer means “to loathe” 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. Aborrecer means to loathe, and it is a strong verb for hatred and disgust: you loathe lies, cruelty, injustice or a food you cannot stand. It is stronger than no gustar and more formal than odiar in some contexts, and it is often used with lo, as in lo aborrezco, I loathe 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 aborrecer; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aborrecer present tense page.

aborrecer in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — I loathe lies in all their forms.
  2. Él/Ella aborrece la injusticia del sistema. — He loathes the injustice of the system.
  3. Nosotros/as aborrecemos las verduras de niño. — We loathe vegetables as a child.
  4. Ellos/as aborrecen el ruido de la ciudad. — They loathe the noise of the city.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo aborrecí las verduras de niño. — Yesterday, I loathed vegetables as a child.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as aborrecíamos el ruido de la ciudad. — Before, We used to loathe the noise of the city.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella aborreció la mentira en todas sus formas. — Yesterday, He loathed lies in all their forms.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as aborrecían la injusticia del sistema. — As children, They used to loathe the injustice of the system.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú aborrecerás la mentira en todas sus formas. — Tomorrow, You will loathe lies in all their forms.
  2. Yo aborrecería la injusticia del sistema. — I would loathe the injustice of the system.
  3. Espero que él aborrezca las verduras de niño. — I hope he loathes vegetables as a child.
  4. Él/Ella ha aborrecido el ruido de la ciudad. — He has loathed the noise of the city.

aborrecer in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú aborreces la mentira en todas sus formas mañana? — Are you going to loathe lies in all their forms tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas todos los días. — Yes, I loathe lies in all their forms every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana aborrecerás la injusticia del sistema? — And tomorrow, will you loathe the injustice of the system? Luis: Claro, mañana aborreceré la injusticia del sistema sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will loathe the injustice of the system without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo aborreceré las verduras de niño también. — Perfect. I will loathe vegetables as a child too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer aborrecí las verduras de niño. — Yesterday, I loathed vegetables as a child. Ana: ¿Y antes aborrecías el ruido de la ciudad? — And before, did you use to loathe the noise of the city? Luis: Sí, antes aborrecía el ruido de la ciudad todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to loathe the noise of the city every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos aborrecieron la mentira en todas sus formas? — And did your brothers loathed lies in all their forms? Luis: Sí, ellos aborrecieron la mentira en todas sus formas por la tarde. — Yes, they loathed lies in all their forms in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aborrece la mentira en todas sus formas. — Right: Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — The person matters: aborrece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aborrezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo aborreco la injusticia del sistema. — Right: Yo aborrezco la injusticia del sistema. — Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so the present is yo aborrezco, never aborreco.
  3. Wrong: Treating aborrecer and odiar as identical in every context. — Right: Aborrecer means to loathe, while odiar means to hate. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: aborrecer fits sentences such as Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas, while odiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy aborrecido la injusticia del sistema. — Right: Yo he aborrecido la injusticia del sistema. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he aborrecido, has aborrecido, ha aborrecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo aborrecí las verduras de niño todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo aborrecía las verduras de niño todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (aborrecía), not the preterite. The preterite (aborrecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el ruido de la ciudad. (present tense) A. aborrecen B. aborrezco C. aborreces D. aborrece

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la mentira en todas sus formas. (preterite tense) A. aborrecí B. aborreciste C. aborreció D. aborrecimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la injusticia del sistema. (imperfect tense) A. aborrecíamos B. aborrecíais C. aborrecías D. aborrecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ las verduras de niño. (future tense) A. aborreceremos B. aborrecerá C. aborreceré D. aborrecerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el ruido de la ciudad. (conditional tense) A. aborreceríamos B. aborrecería C. aborrecerías D. aborreceríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la mentira en todas sus formas. (present-perfect tense) A. has aborrecido B. ha aborrecido C. hemos aborrecido D. he aborrecido

  7. What does aborrecer mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to loathe D. to hate

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo aborrecí las verduras de niño. B. Yo aborrece la mentira en todas sus formas. C. Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. D. Él/Ella aborrece la injusticia del sistema.

  9. Which is the gerund of aborrecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. aborreciendo B. aborrecido C. aborrezco D. aborrecí

  10. Which is the past participle of aborrecer, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aborreciendo B. aborrezco C. aborrecí D. aborrecido

Answer key

  1. aborrecen — The correct form here is aborrecen.
  2. aborrecimos — The correct form here is aborrecimos.
  3. aborrecías — The correct form here is aborrecías.
  4. aborrecerá — The correct form here is aborrecerá.
  5. aborreceríamos — The correct form here is aborreceríamos.
  6. he aborrecido — The correct form here is he aborrecido.
  7. to loathe — Aborrecer means to loathe. Odiar means to hate, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aborrece la mentira en todas sus formas. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas.. The person matters: aborrece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is aborrezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. aborreciendo — The gerund of aborrecer is aborreciendo: estoy aborreciendo.
  10. aborrecido — The past participle of aborrecer is aborrecido: he aborrecido, has aborrecido, ha aborrecido.

Frequently asked questions

What does aborrecer mean?

Aborrecer means to loathe. Aborrecer means to loathe, and it is a strong verb for hatred and disgust: you loathe lies, cruelty, injustice or a food you cannot stand. It is stronger than no gustar and more formal than odiar in some contexts, and it is often used with lo, as in lo aborrezco, I loathe it.

When do people use aborrecer most?

People use aborrecer most in everyday situations such as Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. and Ayer, Yo aborrecí las verduras de niño.. 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 aborrecer and odiar?

Aborrecer means to loathe, while odiar means to hate. 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 aborrecer?

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

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