Abstenerse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

abstenerse means “to abstain” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Abstenerse means to abstain, and it is the reflexive verb for deliberately not doing something: abstaining from voting, from drinking, from commenting. It always takes de for the thing avoided, as in abstenerse de votar, and it is a formal verb, common in politics, law and medicine. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of abstenerse; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the abstenerse present tense page.

abstenerse in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with abstenerse in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — I abstain from voting in the elections.
  2. Él/Ella se abstiene de beber alcohol durante un mes. — He abstains from drinking alcohol for a month.
  3. Nosotros/as nos abstenemos de opinar sobre el tema. — We abstain from giving an opinion on the topic.
  4. Ellos/as se abstienen de fumar durante el embarazo. — They abstain from smoking during pregnancy.

In the past

Four sentences with abstenerse in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema. — Yesterday, I abstained from giving an opinion on the topic.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as nos absteníamos de fumar durante el embarazo. — Before, We used to abstain from smoking during pregnancy.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella se abstuvo de votar en las elecciones. — Yesterday, He abstained from voting in the elections.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as se abstenían de beber alcohol durante un mes. — As children, They used to abstain from drinking alcohol for a month.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with abstenerse in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú te abstendrás de votar en las elecciones. — Tomorrow, You will abstain from voting in the elections.
  2. Yo me abstendría de beber alcohol durante un mes. — I would abstain from drinking alcohol for a month.
  3. Espero que él se abstenga de opinar sobre el tema. — I hope he abstains from giving an opinion on the topic.
  4. Él/Ella se ha abstenido de fumar durante el embarazo. — He has abstained from smoking during pregnancy.

abstenerse in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú te abstienes de votar en las elecciones mañana? — Are you going to abstain from voting in the elections tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones todos los días. — Yes, I abstain from voting in the elections every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana te abstendrás de beber alcohol durante un mes? — And tomorrow, will you abstain from drinking alcohol for a month? Luis: Claro, mañana me abstendré de beber alcohol durante un mes sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will abstain from drinking alcohol for a month without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo me abstendré de opinar sobre el tema también. — Perfect. I will abstain from giving an opinion on the topic too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema. — Yesterday, I abstained from giving an opinion on the topic. Ana: ¿Y antes te abstenías de fumar durante el embarazo? — And before, did you use to abstain from smoking during pregnancy? Luis: Sí, antes me abstenía de fumar durante el embarazo todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to abstain from smoking during pregnancy every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos se abstuvieron de votar en las elecciones? — And did your brothers abstained from voting in the elections? Luis: Sí, ellos se abstuvieron de votar en las elecciones por la tarde. — Yes, they abstained from voting in the elections in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — Right: Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — Abstenerse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Yo absteno de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Right: Yo abstengo de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Abstenerse adds a g in the first person present, like tener (tengo): the form is abstengo, never absteno. The e to ie stem change applies in the tú, él/ella and ellos/ellas forms instead.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo abstení de opinar sobre el tema. — Right: Ayer, yo me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema. — Abstenerse is irregular like tener: the preterite is abstuve, never abstení. The future is abstendré.
  4. Wrong: Treating abstenerse and evitar as identical in every context. — Right: Abstenerse means to abstain, while evitar means to avoid something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: abstenerse fits sentences such as Me abstengo de votar en las elecciones, while evitar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  5. Wrong: Yo soy abstenido de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Right: Yo he abstenido de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he abstenido, has abstenido, ha abstenido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on abstenerse in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de fumar durante el embarazo. (present tense) A. se abstienen B. me abstengo C. te abstienes D. se abstiene

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ de votar en las elecciones. (preterite tense) A. me abstuve B. te abstuviste C. se abstuvo D. nos abstuvimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de beber alcohol durante un mes. (imperfect tense) A. se abstenía B. nos absteníamos C. te abstenías D. me abstenía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ de opinar sobre el tema. (future tense) A. nos abstendremos B. se abstendrá C. me abstendré D. te abstendrás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de fumar durante el embarazo. (conditional tense) A. nos abstendríamos B. me abstendría C. te abstendrías D. se abstendría

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ de votar en las elecciones. (present-perfect tense) A. te has abstenido B. se ha abstenido C. nos hemos abstenido D. me he abstenido

  7. What does abstenerse mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to abstain D. to avoid something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema. B. Yo abstengo de votar en las elecciones. C. Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. D. Él/Ella se abstiene de beber alcohol durante un mes.

  9. Which is the gerund of abstenerse, used with estar for the progressive? A. absteniendo B. abstenido C. abstengo D. abstuve

  10. Which is the past participle of abstenerse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. absteniendo B. abstengo C. abstuve D. abstenido

Answer key

  1. se abstienen — The correct form here is se abstienen.
  2. nos abstuvimos — The correct form here is nos abstuvimos.
  3. te abstenías — The correct form here is te abstenías.
  4. se abstendrá — The correct form here is se abstendrá.
  5. nos abstendríamos — The correct form here is nos abstendríamos.
  6. me he abstenido — The correct form here is me he abstenido.
  7. to abstain — Abstenerse means to abstain. Evitar means to avoid something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones.. Abstenerse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  9. absteniendo — The gerund of abstenerse is absteniendo: estoy absteniendo.
  10. abstenido — The past participle of abstenerse is abstenido: he abstenido, has abstenido, ha abstenido.

Frequently asked questions

What does abstenerse mean?

Abstenerse means to abstain. Abstenerse means to abstain, and it is the reflexive verb for deliberately not doing something: abstaining from voting, from drinking, from commenting. It always takes de for the thing avoided, as in abstenerse de votar, and it is a formal verb, common in politics, law and medicine.

When do people use abstenerse most?

People use abstenerse most in everyday situations such as Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. and Ayer, Yo me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between abstenerse and evitar?

Abstenerse means to abstain, while evitar means to avoid something. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of abstenerse?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of abstenerse as your reference, the abstenerse present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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