Aborrecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb aborrecer means to loathe, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, aborrecer 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 aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas, and in the preterite you say aborrecí las verduras de niño. 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: aborrecer
  • English: to loathe
  • Verb type: spelling-changing verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: aborreciendo
  • Past participle: aborrecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + aborrecido)
  • Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aborrecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so the present is yo aborrezco and the subjunctive is aborrezca.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for aborrecer. 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 aborrezco
tú aborreces
él/ella/Ud. aborrece
nosotros/as aborrecemos
vosotros/as aborrecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo aborrecí
tú aborreciste
él/ella/Ud. aborreció
nosotros/as aborrecimos
vosotros/as aborrecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo aborrecía
tú aborrecías
él/ella/Ud. aborrecía
nosotros/as aborrecíamos
vosotros/as aborrecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecían

Future

Person Form
yo aborreceré
tú aborrecerás
él/ella/Ud. aborrecerá
nosotros/as aborreceremos
vosotros/as aborreceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo aborrecería
tú aborrecerías
él/ella/Ud. aborrecería
nosotros/as aborreceríamos
vosotros/as aborreceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecerían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he aborrecido
tú has aborrecido
él/ella/Ud. ha aborrecido
nosotros/as hemos aborrecido
vosotros/as habéis aborrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han aborrecido

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había aborrecido
tú habías aborrecido
él/ella/Ud. había aborrecido
nosotros/as habíamos aborrecido
vosotros/as habíais aborrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían aborrecido

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré aborrecido
tú habrás aborrecido
él/ella/Ud. habrá aborrecido
nosotros/as habremos aborrecido
vosotros/as habréis aborrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán aborrecido

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría aborrecido
tú habrías aborrecido
él/ella/Ud. habría aborrecido
nosotros/as habríamos aborrecido
vosotros/as habríais aborrecido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían aborrecido

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo aborrezca
tú aborrezcas
él/ella/Ud. aborrezca
nosotros/as aborrezcamos
vosotros/as aborrecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo aborreciera
tú aborrecieras
él/ella/Ud. aborreciera
nosotros/as aborreciéramos
vosotros/as aborrecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú aborrece
él/ella/Ud. aborrezca
nosotros/as aborrezcamos
vosotros/as aborreced
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú aborrezcas
él/ella/Ud. aborrezca
nosotros/as aborrezcamos
vosotros/as aborrecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. aborrezcan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund aborreciendo with estar for the progressive: estoy aborreciendo
Past participle aborrecido with haber for the perfect tenses: he aborrecido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the present is yo aborrezco, never aborreco. For aborrecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. 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 aborrecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, aborrecí la injusticia del sistema. 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 aborrecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, aborrecía las verduras de niño. 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 aborrecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, aborreceré el ruido de la ciudad. 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 aborrecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Aborrecería la mentira en todas sus formas 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 aborrecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he aborrecido la injusticia del sistema. 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 aborrecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había aborrecido las verduras de niño 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 aborrecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré aborrecido el ruido de la ciudad. 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 aborrecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría aborrecido la mentira en todas sus formas 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 aborrecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aborrezca la injusticia del sistema. 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 aborrecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él aborreciera las verduras de niño, 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 aborrecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aborrece el ruido de la ciudad! 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 aborrecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No aborrezcas la mentira en todas sus formas. 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 aborrecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. — I loathe lies in all their forms.
  2. Aborrece la injusticia del sistema. — He/she loathes the injustice of the system.
  3. Ayer, aborrecí las verduras de niño. — Yesterday, I loathed vegetables as a child.
  4. Antes, nosotros aborrecíamos el ruido de la ciudad. — Before, we used to loathe the noise of the city.
  5. Mañana, tú aborrecerás la mentira en todas sus formas. — Tomorrow, you will loathe lies in all their forms.
  6. Yo aborrecería la injusticia del sistema si tuviera más tiempo. — I would loathe the injustice of the system if I had more time.
  7. Él ha aborrecido las verduras de niño. — He has loathed vegetables as a child.
  8. Espero que él aborrezca el ruido de la ciudad. — I hope he loathes the noise of the city.
  9. Yo ya había aborrecido la mentira en todas sus formas antes de salir. — I had already loathed lies in all their forms before leaving.
  10. Ellos aborrecían la injusticia del sistema cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to loathe the injustice of the system when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la mentira en todas sus formas. (present tense) A. aborrezco B. aborreces C. aborrece D. aborrecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la injusticia del sistema. (preterite) A. aborrecí B. aborreciste C. aborrecieron D. aborreció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las verduras de niño. (imperfect) A. aborrecías B. aborrecían C. aborrecíamos D. aborrecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el ruido de la ciudad. (future) A. aborreceremos B. aborrecerás C. aborreceré D. aborrecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la mentira en todas sus formas si pudiera. (conditional) A. aborrecería B. aborrecerías C. aborrecerían D. aborrezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la injusticia del sistema. (present subjunctive) A. aborrezcas B. aborrezcamos C. aborrezco D. aborrezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las verduras de niño, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. aborreciéramos B. aborrezco C. aborreciera D. aborrecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el ruido de la ciudad. (present perfect) A. han aborrecido B. hemos aborrecido C. he aborrecido D. has aborrecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la mentira en todas sus formas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aborrece B. aborrezca C. aborrezcamos D. aborreced

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

Answer key

  1. aborrezco — The first-person present of aborrecer is aborrezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. aborreció — The third-person preterite of aborrecer is aborreció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. aborrecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of aborrecer is aborrecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. aborrecerás — The second-person future of aborrecer is aborrecerás.
  5. aborrecería — The first-person conditional of aborrecer is aborrecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. aborrezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of aborrecer is aborrezca.
  7. aborreciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of aborrecer is aborreciera.
  8. hemos aborrecido — The nosotros present perfect of aborrecer is hemos aborrecido: hemos + aborrecido.
  9. aborrece — The affirmative tú imperative of aborrecer is aborrece.
  10. aborreciendo — The gerund of aborrecer is aborreciendo: estoy aborreciendo. The participle aborrecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does aborrecer mean in English?

Aborrecer means to loathe. It is used in everyday situations such as Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is aborrecer regular or irregular?

Aborrecer is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is aborrezco. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -er verbs.

What is the difference between aborrecer and odiar?

Aborrecer means to loathe, while odiar means to hate. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use aborrecer when you mean to loathe, as in Aborrezco la mentira en todas sus formas, and use odiar for to hate. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I loathe” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo aborrecí la injusticia del sistema. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo aborrecía las verduras de niño. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he aborrecido la injusticia del sistema.

How do I practise aborrecer?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the aborrecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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