Aborrecer Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of aborrecer — “to loathe” 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 aborrecer 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. 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. Aborrecer is a spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas.
Present tense conjugation table: aborrecer
Every person of aborrecer in the present tense. The gerund is aborreciendo and the past participle is aborrecido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aborrezco |
| tú | aborreces |
| él/ella/Ud. | aborrece |
| nosotros/as | aborrecemos |
| vosotros/as | aborrecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aborrecen |
How the present of aborrecer is formed
The present of aborrecer is built from the stem aborrec- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | aborrezco |
| tú | -es | aborreces |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | aborrece |
| nosotros/as | -emos | aborrecemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | aborrecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | aborrecen |
Watch out for yo: the form is aborrezco, not the regular aborreco. The spelling changes here so the pronunciation stays the same.
When to use the present tense with aborrecer
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — I loathe lies in all their forms.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella aborrece la injusticia del sistema. — He loathes the injustice of the system.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as aborrecemos las verduras de niño. — Right now, We loathe vegetables as a child.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú aborreces el ruido de la ciudad. — Tomorrow, You loathe the noise of the city.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella aborrece la mentira en todas sus formas. — He loathes lies in all their forms.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with aborrecer.
- Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — I loathe lies in all their forms. / Ayer, Yo aborrecí la mentira en todas sus formas. — Yesterday, I loathed lies in all their forms.
- Yo aborrezco la injusticia del sistema. — I loathe the injustice of the system. / Ayer, Yo aborrecí la injusticia del sistema. — Yesterday, I loathed the injustice of the system.
- Yo aborrezco las verduras de niño. — I loathe vegetables as a child. / Ayer, Yo aborrecí las verduras de niño. — Yesterday, I loathed vegetables as a child.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with aborrecer in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — I loathe lies in all their forms.
- Tú aborreces la injusticia del sistema. — You loathe the injustice of the system.
- Él/Ella aborrece las verduras de niño. — He loathes vegetables as a child.
- Nosotros/as aborrecemos el ruido de la ciudad. — We loathe the noise of the city.
- Vosotros/as aborrecéis la mentira en todas sus formas. — You loathe lies in all their forms.
- Ellos/as aborrecen la injusticia del sistema. — They loathe the injustice of the system.
- Yo aborrezco las verduras de niño. — I loathe vegetables as a child.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- Wrong: Using aborrecer where odiar belongs. — Right: Aborrecer means to loathe, while odiar means to hate. — Check the meaning before you choose: aborrecer fits Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas.
- Wrong: Espero que él aborrece la injusticia del sistema. — Right: Espero que él aborrezca la injusticia del sistema. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aborrezca, not the present indicative aborrece.
Quiz: the present tense of aborrecer
Eight questions on the present tense of aborrecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la mentira en todas sus formas. (present tense, yo) A. aborrezco B. aborreces C. aborrece D. aborrecemos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la injusticia del sistema. (present tense, tú) A. aborrezco B. aborrece C. aborrecemos D. aborreces
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ las verduras de niño. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. aborreces B. aborrecemos C. aborrece D. aborrezco
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el ruido de la ciudad. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. aborrece B. aborrecemos C. aborrezco D. aborreces
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la mentira en todas sus formas. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. aborrecéis B. aborrezco C. aborreces D. aborrece
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la injusticia del sistema. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. aborrezco B. aborreces C. aborrece D. aborrecen
Which is the gerund of aborrecer? A. aborrezco B. aborrecí C. aborreciendo D. aborrecido
Which is the past participle of aborrecer, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. aborrecí B. aborrecido C. aborreciendo D. aborrezco
Answer key
- aborrezco — The yo present form of aborrecer is aborrezco.
- aborreces — The tú present form of aborrecer is aborreces.
- aborrece — The él/ella/Ud. present form of aborrecer is aborrece.
- aborrecemos — The nosotros/as present form of aborrecer is aborrecemos.
- aborrecéis — The vosotros/as present form of aborrecer is aborrecéis.
- aborrecen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of aborrecer is aborrecen.
- aborreciendo — The gerund of aborrecer is aborreciendo: estoy aborreciendo.
- aborrecido — The past participle of aborrecer is aborrecido: he aborrecido, has aborrecido, ha aborrecido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of aborrecer formed?
Take the infinitive aborrecer, drop the -er ending to get the stem aborrec-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. The full table is above, with every person. The present of aborrecer has a spelling change so the pronunciation stays the same, but the endings are regular.
When do I use the present tense of aborrecer?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of aborrecer?
The present (aborrezco) and the preterite (aborrecí) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of aborrecer?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of aborrecer to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the aborrecer examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Aborrecer conjugation — the full conjugation tables for aborrecer.
- Aborrecer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for aborrecer.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.