Abotonar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
abotonar means "to button" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see abotonar with his shirt before going out, his coat in winter, his son's jacket and the school uniform — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "Every day, I button his shirt before going out." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
abotonar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with abotonar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "Every day, I button his shirt before going out." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo abotoné el abrigo en invierno. — "Yesterday, I buttoned his coat in winter." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo abotonaba la chaqueta de su hijo. — "In the past, I used to button his son's jacket." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros abotonaremos el uniforme de la escuela. — "Tomorrow, we will button the school uniform." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú abotonarías la camisa antes de salir. — "If you could, you would button his shirt before going out." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he abotonado el abrigo en invierno. — "I have buttoned his coat in winter." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él abotona la chaqueta de su hijo. — "Normally, he/she buttons his son's jacket." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él abotonó el uniforme de la escuela. — "Yesterday, he/she buttoned the school uniform." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros abotonábamos la camisa antes de salir. — "In the past, we used to button his shirt before going out." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo abotonaré el abrigo en invierno. — "Tomorrow, I will button his coat in winter." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él abotone la chaqueta de su hijo. — "I hope that he/she buttons his son's jacket." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Abotona el uniforme de la escuela! — "Button the school uniform!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using abotonar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his shirt before going out, his coat in winter, his son's jacket and the school uniform.
Dialogue 1: talking about his shirt before going out
Lucía: ¿Tú abotonas la camisa antes de salir? — "Do you button his shirt before going out?" Pedro: Sí, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "I button his shirt before going out." Lucía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Pedro: Ayer, yo abotoné el abrigo en invierno. — "Yesterday, I buttoned his coat in winter." Lucía: Mañana, nosotros abotonaremos la chaqueta de su hijo. — "Tomorrow, we will button his son's jacket." Pedro: Si pudiera, yo abotonaría el uniforme de la escuela. — "If I could, I would button the school uniform." Lucía: Antes, yo abotonaba el abrigo en invierno. — "In the past, I used to button his coat in winter." Pedro: Yo he abotonado la camisa antes de salir. — "I have buttoned his shirt before going out." Lucía: ¡Abotona la chaqueta de su hijo! — "Button his son's jacket!"
In this dialogue abotonar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his son's jacket
Lucía: Él abotona la chaqueta de su hijo. — "he/she buttons his son's jacket." Pedro: ¿De verdad? ¿Él abotona la chaqueta de su hijo todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she buttons his son's jacket every day?" Lucía: Sí, y ellos abotonan el uniforme de la escuela. — "they button the school uniform." Pedro: Ayer, ellos abotonaron la chaqueta de su hijo. — "Yesterday, they buttoned his son's jacket." Lucía: Espero que él abotone el uniforme de la escuela. — "I hope that he/she buttons the school uniform." Pedro: Mañana, él abotonará la chaqueta de su hijo. — "Tomorrow, he/she will button his son's jacket." Lucía: Antes, nosotros abotonábamos el uniforme de la escuela. — "In the past, we used to button the school uniform." Pedro: Nosotros abotonamos la camisa antes de salir también. — "we button his shirt before going out too."
This dialogue shows abotonar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with abotonar
The errors learners actually make with abotonar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me abotono la camisa antes de salir.
- Right: Yo abotono la camisa antes de salir.
- Why: abotonar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo abotonar la camisa antes de salir.
- Right: Yo abotono la camisa antes de salir.
- Why: The infinitive abotonar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form abotono.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo abotono el abrigo en invierno.
- Right: Ayer, yo abotoné el abrigo en invierno.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo abotoné el abrigo en invierno. — "Yesterday, I buttoned his coat in winter."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy abotonado la chaqueta de su hijo.
- Right: Estoy abotonando la chaqueta de su hijo.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund abotonando for the progressive. The participle abotonado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he abotonado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros abotona la camisa antes de salir.
- Right: Nosotros abotonamos la camisa antes de salir.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abotonamos, while abotona belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: abotonar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on abotonar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abotonar in the present tense?
- (a) abotonamos
- (b) abotono
- (c) abotonas
- (d) abotona
Answer: (b) abotono. The yo form is abotono.
2. What is the tú form of abotonar in the present tense?
- (a) abotonas
- (b) abotono
- (c) abotona
- (d) abotonamos
Answer: (a) abotonas. The tú form is abotonas.
3. What is the él/ella form of abotonar in the present tense?
- (a) abotono
- (b) abotonas
- (c) abotonamos
- (d) abotona
Answer: (d) abotona. The él/ella form is abotona.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la camisa antes de salir.
- (a) abotona
- (b) abotonamos
- (c) abotono
- (d) abotonas
Answer: (c) abotono. The sentence needs the yo form abotono.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ el abrigo en invierno.
- (a) abotonamos
- (b) abotoné
- (c) abotonaste
- (d) abotonó
Answer: (b) abotoné. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is abotoné.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la chaqueta de su hijo.
- (a) abotonaba
- (b) abotonabas
- (c) abotonábamos
- (d) abotonabais
Answer: (a) abotonaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is abotonaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el uniforme de la escuela.
- (a) abotonarás
- (b) abotonará
- (c) abotonaremos
- (d) abotonaré
Answer: (d) abotonaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is abotonaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la camisa antes de salir.
- (a) has abotonado
- (b) ha abotonado
- (c) hemos abotonado
- (d) he abotonado
Answer: (d) he abotonado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he abotonado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la chaqueta de su hijo.
- (a) abotonéis
- (b) abotone
- (c) abotones
- (d) abotonemos
Answer: (b) abotone. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is abotone.
10. What does abotonar mean in English?
- (a) to fracture (a bone)
- (b) to button
- (c) to float
- (d) to promote, to foster
Answer: (b) to button. abotonar means "to button" in English.
Frequently asked questions about abotonar
What does abotonar mean?
abotonar means "to button" in English. Use it when you talk about his shirt before going out, his coat in winter, his son's jacket and the school uniform — for example: Cada día, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "Every day, I button his shirt before going out."
Is there a reflexive form of abotonar?
No. abotonar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "Every day, I button his shirt before going out."
What is the most common mistake with abotonar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo abotono la camisa antes de salir. — "Every day, I button his shirt before going out." is a habit, while Ayer, yo abotoné la camisa antes de salir is one finished action.
How can I practise abotonar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.