Abrasar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
abrasar means "to burn, to scorch" 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 abrasar with the bread in the oven, his skin with the sun, the house with the fire and the fields in summer — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
abrasar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with abrasar, 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 abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol. — "Yesterday, I burnned his skin with the sun." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo abrasaba la casa con el fuego. — "In the past, I used to burn the house with the fire." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros abrasaremos los campos en verano. — "Tomorrow, we will burn the fields in summer." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú abrasarías el pan en el horno. — "If you could, you would burn the bread in the oven." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he abrasado la piel con el sol. — "I have burnned his skin with the sun." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él abrasa la casa con el fuego. — "Normally, he/she burns the house with the fire." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él abrasó los campos en verano. — "Yesterday, he/she burnned the fields in summer." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros abrasábamos el pan en el horno. — "In the past, we used to burn the bread in the oven." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo abrasaré la piel con el sol. — "Tomorrow, I will burn his skin with the sun." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él abrase la casa con el fuego. — "I hope that he/she burns the house with the fire." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Abrasa los campos en verano! — "Burn the fields in summer!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using abrasar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the bread in the oven, his skin with the sun, the house with the fire and the fields in summer.
Dialogue 1: talking about the bread in the oven
Sofía: ¿Tú abrasas el pan en el horno? — "Do you burn the bread in the oven?" Diego: Sí, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "I burn the bread in the oven." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol. — "Yesterday, I burnned his skin with the sun." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros abrasaremos la casa con el fuego. — "Tomorrow, we will burn the house with the fire." Diego: Si pudiera, yo abrasaría los campos en verano. — "If I could, I would burn the fields in summer." Sofía: Antes, yo abrasaba la piel con el sol. — "In the past, I used to burn his skin with the sun." Diego: Yo he abrasado el pan en el horno. — "I have burnned the bread in the oven." Sofía: ¡Abrasa la casa con el fuego! — "Burn the house with the fire!"
In this dialogue abrasar 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 the house with the fire
Sofía: Él abrasa la casa con el fuego. — "he/she burns the house with the fire." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él abrasa la casa con el fuego todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she burns the house with the fire every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos abrasan los campos en verano. — "they burn the fields in summer." Diego: Ayer, ellos abrasaron la casa con el fuego. — "Yesterday, they burnned the house with the fire." Sofía: Espero que él abrase los campos en verano. — "I hope that he/she burns the fields in summer." Diego: Mañana, él abrasará la casa con el fuego. — "Tomorrow, he/she will burn the house with the fire." Sofía: Antes, nosotros abrasábamos los campos en verano. — "In the past, we used to burn the fields in summer." Diego: Nosotros abrasamos el pan en el horno también. — "we burn the bread in the oven too."
This dialogue shows abrasar 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 abrasar
The errors learners actually make with abrasar 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 abraso el pan en el horno.
- Right: Yo abraso el pan en el horno.
- Why: abrasar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo abraso el pan en el horno. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo abrasar el pan en el horno.
- Right: Yo abraso el pan en el horno.
- Why: The infinitive abrasar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form abraso.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo abraso la piel con el sol.
- Right: Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol. — "Yesterday, I burnned his skin with the sun."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy abrasado la casa con el fuego.
- Right: Estoy abrasando la casa con el fuego.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund abrasando for the progressive. The participle abrasado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he abrasado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros abrasa el pan en el horno.
- Right: Nosotros abrasamos el pan en el horno.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abrasamos, while abrasa belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: abrasar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on abrasar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abrasar in the present tense?
- (a) abraso
- (b) abrasas
- (c) abrasa
- (d) abrasamos
Answer: (a) abraso. The yo form is abraso.
2. What is the tú form of abrasar in the present tense?
- (a) abraso
- (b) abrasa
- (c) abrasamos
- (d) abrasas
Answer: (d) abrasas. The tú form is abrasas.
3. What is the él/ella form of abrasar in the present tense?
- (a) abrasas
- (b) abrasamos
- (c) abrasa
- (d) abraso
Answer: (c) abrasa. The él/ella form is abrasa.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el pan en el horno.
- (a) abrasamos
- (b) abraso
- (c) abrasas
- (d) abrasa
Answer: (b) abraso. The sentence needs the yo form abraso.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la piel con el sol.
- (a) abrasé
- (b) abrasaste
- (c) abrasó
- (d) abrasamos
Answer: (a) abrasé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is abrasé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la casa con el fuego.
- (a) abrasabas
- (b) abrasábamos
- (c) abrasabais
- (d) abrasaba
Answer: (d) abrasaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is abrasaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ los campos en verano.
- (a) abrasará
- (b) abrasaremos
- (c) abrasaré
- (d) abrasarás
Answer: (c) abrasaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is abrasaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el pan en el horno.
- (a) ha abrasado
- (b) hemos abrasado
- (c) he abrasado
- (d) has abrasado
Answer: (c) he abrasado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he abrasado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la casa con el fuego.
- (a) abrase
- (b) abrases
- (c) abrasemos
- (d) abraséis
Answer: (a) abrase. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is abrase.
10. What does abrasar mean in English?
- (a) to burn, to scorch
- (b) to frequent
- (c) to light up, to illuminate
- (d) to hurt, to injure
Answer: (a) to burn, to scorch. abrasar means "to burn, to scorch" in English.
Frequently asked questions about abrasar
What does abrasar mean?
abrasar means "to burn, to scorch" in English. Use it when you talk about the bread in the oven, his skin with the sun, the house with the fire and the fields in summer — for example: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven."
Is there a reflexive form of abrasar?
No. abrasar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven."
What is the most common mistake with abrasar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." is a habit, while Ayer, yo abrasé el pan en el horno is one finished action.
How can I practise abrasar?
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.