Abreviar Present Tense in Spanish
abreviar means "to shorten, to abbreviate" 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 abreviar, 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 abrevio la palabra en el texto. — "Every day, I shorten the word in the text." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of abreviar: full table
Every person of abreviar in the present tense. The gerund is abreviando and the past participle is abreviado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | abrevio |
| tú | abrevias |
| él/ella/Ud. | abrevia |
| nosotros/as | abreviamos |
| vosotros/as | abreviáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | abrevian |
The gerund of abreviar is abreviando and the past participle is abreviado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy abreviando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he abreviado).
How the present tense of abreviar is formed
The present tense of abreviar is built from the stem abrevi- 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 abrevio, tú abrevias, él abrevia, nosotros abreviamos, vosotros abreviáis and ellos abrevian. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | abrevio |
| tú | -as | abrevias |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | abrevia |
| nosotros/as | -amos | abreviamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | abreviáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | abrevian |
abreviar 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 abreviáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is abreviando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy abreviando. The past participle is abreviado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he abreviado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with abreviar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo abrevio la palabra en el texto. — "Every day, I shorten the word in the text." The complement in this sentence is about the word in the text, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abreviar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú abrevias el discurso para la reunión. — "Now, you shorten the speech for the meeting." The complement in this sentence is about the speech for the meeting, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abreviar 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 abrevia el nombre en la lista. — "Normally, he/she shortens the name on the list." The complement in this sentence is about the name on the list, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abreviar 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 abreviamos el camino por el atajo. — "Tomorrow, we shorten the journey by the shortcut." The complement in this sentence is about the journey by the shortcut, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abreviar 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 abrevian la palabra en el texto. — "Always, they shorten the word in the text." The complement in this sentence is about the word in the text, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear abreviar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: abreviar
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 abreviar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo abrevio la palabra en el texto. — "Every day, I shorten the word in the text."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo abrevié la palabra en el texto. — "Yesterday, I shortened the word in the text."
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 abrevias el discurso para la reunión. — "Every day, you shorten the speech for the meeting."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú abreviaste el discurso para la reunión. — "Yesterday, you shortened the speech for the meeting."
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 abrevia el nombre en la lista. — "Every day, he/she shortens the name on the list."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él abrevió el nombre en la lista. — "Yesterday, he/she shortened the name on the list."
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: abreviar in the present tense
These eight sentences show abreviar 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 abrevio la palabra en el texto. — "I shorten the word in the text."
- Tú abrevias el discurso para la reunión. — "you shorten the speech for the meeting."
- Él abrevia el nombre en la lista. — "he/she shortens the name on the list."
- Nosotros abreviamos el camino por el atajo. — "we shorten the journey by the shortcut."
- Vosotros abreviáis la palabra en el texto. — "you (plural) shorten the word in the text."
- Ellos abrevian el discurso para la reunión. — "they shorten the speech for the meeting."
- Yo abrevio el nombre en la lista. — "I shorten the name on the list."
- Tú abrevias el camino por el atajo. — "you shorten the journey by the shortcut."
Common mistakes with abreviar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros abreviais la palabra en el texto.
- Right: Vosotros abreviáis la palabra en el texto.
- Why: The vosotros form abreviáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me abrevio la palabra en el texto.
- Right: Yo abrevio la palabra en el texto.
- Why: abreviar 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 abrevio el discurso para la reunión.
- Right: Ayer, yo abrevié el discurso para la reunión.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo abrevié el discurso para la reunión. — "Yesterday, I shortened the speech for the meeting." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo abrevio el nombre en la lista.
- Right: Antes, yo abreviaba el nombre en la lista.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo abreviaba el nombre en la lista. — "In the past, I used to shorten the name on the list." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros abrevia la palabra en el texto.
- Right: Nosotros abreviamos la palabra en el texto.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes abreviamos, while abrevia belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of abreviar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of abreviar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of abreviar in the present tense?
- (a) abreviamos
- (b) abrevio
- (c) abrevias
- (d) abrevia
Answer: (b) abrevio. The yo form is abrevio. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of abreviar in the present tense?
- (a) abrevias
- (b) abrevio
- (c) abrevia
- (d) abreviamos
Answer: (a) abrevias. The tú form is abrevias. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of abreviar in the present tense?
- (a) abrevio
- (b) abrevias
- (c) abreviamos
- (d) abrevia
Answer: (d) abrevia. The él/ella form is abrevia. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of abreviar in the present tense?
- (a) abrevias
- (b) abrevia
- (c) abreviamos
- (d) abrevio
Answer: (c) abreviamos. The nosotros form is abreviamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of abreviar in the present tense?
- (a) abrevia
- (b) abrevian
- (c) abrevio
- (d) abrevias
Answer: (b) abrevian. The ellos/ellas form is abrevian. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ la palabra en el texto.
- (a) abrevio
- (b) abrevias
- (c) abrevia
- (d) abreviamos
Answer: (a) abrevio. The sentence needs the yo form abrevio (Every day, I shorten the word in the text.)
7. What is the gerund of abreviar?
- (a) abreviando
- (b) abreviado
- (c) abrevio
- (d) abreviar
Answer: (a) abreviando. The gerund is abreviando, used for the progressive: estoy abreviando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo abreviaba el discurso para la reunión.
- (b) Ayer, yo abrevié el discurso para la reunión.
- (c) Mañana, yo abreviaré el discurso para la reunión.
- (d) Cada día, yo abrevio el discurso para la reunión.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo abrevio el discurso para la reunión.. Cada día, yo abrevio el discurso para la reunión. (Every day, I shorten the speech for the meeting.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo abrevié el discurso para la reunión. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo abreviaré el discurso para la reunión. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of abreviar
Is abreviar regular in the present tense?
Yes. abreviar is a regular -ar verb: abrevio, abrevias, abrevia, abreviamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'shorten' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo abrevio la palabra en el texto. — "Every day, I shorten the word in the text." 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 abreviar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo abrevio el discurso para la reunión. — "Every day, I shorten the speech for the meeting." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo abrevié el discurso para la reunión. — "Yesterday, I shortened the speech for the meeting." 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 abreviar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros abreviamos el camino por el atajo. — "Tomorrow, we shorten the journey by the shortcut." 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.