Abrasar Present Tense in Spanish
abrasar means "to burn, to scorch" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for abrasar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of abrasar: full table
Every person of abrasar in the present tense. The gerund is abrasando and the past participle is abrasado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abraso |
| tú | abrasas |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrasa |
| nosotros/as | abrasamos |
| vosotros/as | abrasáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrasan |
The gerund of abrasar is abrasando and the past participle is abrasado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy abrasando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he abrasado).
How the present tense of abrasar is formed
The present tense of abrasar is built from the stem abras- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo abraso, tú abrasas, él abrasa, nosotros abrasamos, vosotros abrasáis and ellos abrasan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | abraso |
| tú | -as | abrasas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | abrasa |
| nosotros/as | -amos | abrasamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | abrasáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | abrasan |
abrasar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form abrasáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is abrasando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy abrasando. The past participle is abrasado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he abrasado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with abrasar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." The complement in this sentence is about the bread in the oven, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrasar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú abrasas la piel con el sol. — "Now, you burn his skin with the sun." The complement in this sentence is about his skin with the sun, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrasar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él abrasa la casa con el fuego. — "Normally, he/she burns the house with the fire." The complement in this sentence is about the house with the fire, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrasar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros abrasamos los campos en verano. — "Tomorrow, we burn the fields in summer." The complement in this sentence is about the fields in summer, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrasar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos abrasan el pan en el horno. — "Always, they burn the bread in the oven." The complement in this sentence is about the bread in the oven, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abrasar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: abrasar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with abrasar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo abrasé el pan en el horno. — "Yesterday, I burnned the bread in the oven."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú abrasas la piel con el sol. — "Every day, you burn his skin with the sun."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú abrasaste la piel con el sol. — "Yesterday, you burnned his skin with the sun."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él abrasa la casa con el fuego. — "Every day, he/she burns the house with the fire."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él abrasó la casa con el fuego. — "Yesterday, he/she burnned the house with the fire."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: abrasar in the present tense
These eight sentences show abrasar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "I burn the bread in the oven."
- Tú abrasas la piel con el sol. — "you burn his skin with the sun."
- Él abrasa la casa con el fuego. — "he/she burns the house with the fire."
- Nosotros abrasamos los campos en verano. — "we burn the fields in summer."
- Vosotros abrasáis el pan en el horno. — "you (plural) burn the bread in the oven."
- Ellos abrasan la piel con el sol. — "they burn his skin with the sun."
- Yo abraso la casa con el fuego. — "I burn the house with the fire."
- Tú abrasas los campos en verano. — "you burn the fields in summer."
Common mistakes with abrasar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros abrasais el pan en el horno.
- Right: Vosotros abrasáis el pan en el horno.
- Why: The vosotros form abrasáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: 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. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo abraso la casa con el fuego.
- Right: Antes, yo abrasaba la casa con el fuego.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo abrasaba la casa con el fuego. — "In the past, I used to burn the house with the fire." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of abrasar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of abrasar in the present tense?
- (a) abrasa
- (b) abrasamos
- (c) abraso
- (d) abrasas
Answer: (b) abrasamos. The nosotros form is abrasamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of abrasar in the present tense?
- (a) abrasan
- (b) abraso
- (c) abrasas
- (d) abrasa
Answer: (a) abrasan. The ellos/ellas form is abrasan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el pan en el horno.
- (a) abrasas
- (b) abrasa
- (c) abrasamos
- (d) abraso
Answer: (d) abraso. The sentence needs the yo form abraso (Every day, I burn the bread in the oven.)
7. What is the gerund of abrasar?
- (a) abrasado
- (b) abraso
- (c) abrasar
- (d) abrasando
Answer: (d) abrasando. The gerund is abrasando, used for the progressive: estoy abrasando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol.
- (b) Mañana, yo abrasaré la piel con el sol.
- (c) Cada día, yo abraso la piel con el sol.
- (d) Antes, yo abrasaba la piel con el sol.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo abraso la piel con el sol.. Cada día, yo abraso la piel con el sol. (Every day, I burn his skin with the sun.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo abrasaré la piel con el sol. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of abrasar
Is abrasar regular in the present tense?
Yes. abrasar is a regular -ar verb: abraso, abrasas, abrasa, abrasamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'burn' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo abraso el pan en el horno. — "Every day, I burn the bread in the oven." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with abrasar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo abraso la piel con el sol. — "Every day, I burn his skin with the sun." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo abrasé la piel con el sol. — "Yesterday, I burnned his skin with the sun." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with abrasar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros abrasamos los campos en verano. — "Tomorrow, we burn the fields in summer." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.