Abstenerse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of abstenerse — “to abstain” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for abstenerse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Abstenerse is a reflexive irregular verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Me abstengo de votar en las elecciones.
Present tense conjugation table: abstenerse
Every person of abstenerse in the present tense, with the reflexive pronoun. The gerund is absteniéndose with the pronoun attached, and the past participle is abstenido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | me abstengo |
| tú | te abstienes |
| él/ella/Ud. | se abstiene |
| nosotros/as | nos abstenemos |
| vosotros/as | os abstenéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se abstienen |
How the present of abstenerse is formed
The present of abstenerse is built from the stem absten- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending and the reflexive -se, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | me abstengo |
| tú | -es | te abstienes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | se abstiene |
| nosotros/as | -emos | nos abstenemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | os abstenéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | se abstienen |
Watch out for yo: the form is abstengo, not the regular absteno. The stem vowel changes here, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Watch out for tú: the form is abstienes, not the regular abstenes. The stem vowel changes here, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Watch out for él/ella/Ud.: the form is abstiene, not the regular abstene. The stem vowel changes here, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. Watch out for ellos/ellas/Uds.: the form is abstienen, not the regular abstenen. The stem vowel changes here, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Because abstenerse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), the change applies in the singular and in the third-person plural, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem: abstenemos and abstenéis.
Because abstenerse is reflexive, the pronoun goes before the verb in every form: me, te, se, nos, os, se. In the gerund the pronoun attaches to the end: absteniéndose.
When to use the present tense with abstenerse
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — I abstain from voting in the elections.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella se abstiene de beber alcohol durante un mes. — He abstains from drinking alcohol for a month.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as nos abstenemos de opinar sobre el tema. — Right now, We abstain from giving an opinion on the topic.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú te abstienes de fumar durante el embarazo. — Tomorrow, You abstain from smoking during pregnancy.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella se abstiene de votar en las elecciones. — He abstains from voting in the elections.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with abstenerse.
- Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — I abstain from voting in the elections. / Ayer, Yo me abstuve de votar en las elecciones. — Yesterday, I abstained from voting in the elections.
- Yo me abstengo de beber alcohol durante un mes. — I abstain from drinking alcohol for a month. / Ayer, Yo me abstuve de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Yesterday, I abstained from drinking alcohol for a month.
- Yo me abstengo de opinar sobre el tema. — I abstain from giving an opinion on the topic. / Ayer, Yo me abstuve de opinar sobre el tema. — Yesterday, I abstained from giving an opinion on the topic.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with abstenerse in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo me abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — I abstain from voting in the elections.
- Tú te abstienes de beber alcohol durante un mes. — You abstain from drinking alcohol for a month.
- Él/Ella se abstiene de opinar sobre el tema. — He abstains from giving an opinion on the topic.
- Nosotros/as nos abstenemos de fumar durante el embarazo. — We abstain from smoking during pregnancy.
- Vosotros/as os abstenéis de votar en las elecciones. — You abstain from voting in the elections.
- Ellos/as se abstienen de beber alcohol durante un mes. — They abstain from drinking alcohol for a month.
- Yo me abstengo de opinar sobre el tema. — I abstain from giving an opinion on the topic.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo abstiene de votar en las elecciones. — Right: Yo abstengo de votar en las elecciones. — The person matters: abstiene is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is abstengo.
- Wrong: Yo absteno de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Right: Yo abstengo de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Abstenerse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural.
- 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 in the present tense too.
- Wrong: Espero que él abstiene de beber alcohol durante un mes. — Right: Espero que él abstenga de beber alcohol durante un mes. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: abstenga, not the present indicative abstiene.
Quiz: the present tense of abstenerse
Eight questions on the present tense of abstenerse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de votar en las elecciones. (present tense, yo) A. me abstengo B. te abstienes C. se abstiene D. nos abstenemos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ de beber alcohol durante un mes. (present tense, tú) A. me abstengo B. se abstiene C. nos abstenemos D. te abstienes
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ de opinar sobre el tema. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. te abstienes B. nos abstenemos C. se abstiene D. me abstengo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ de fumar durante el embarazo. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. se abstiene B. nos abstenemos C. me abstengo D. te abstienes
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ de votar en las elecciones. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. os abstenéis B. me abstengo C. te abstienes D. se abstiene
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ de beber alcohol durante un mes. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. me abstengo B. te abstienes C. se abstiene D. se abstienen
Which is the gerund of abstenerse? A. abstengo B. abstuve C. absteniendo D. abstenido
Which is the past participle of abstenerse, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. abstuve B. abstenido C. absteniendo D. abstengo
Answer key
- me abstengo — The yo present form of abstenerse is me abstengo.
- te abstienes — The tú present form of abstenerse is te abstienes.
- se abstiene — The él/ella/Ud. present form of abstenerse is se abstiene.
- nos abstenemos — The nosotros/as present form of abstenerse is nos abstenemos.
- os abstenéis — The vosotros/as present form of abstenerse is os abstenéis.
- se abstienen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of abstenerse is se abstienen.
- absteniendo — The gerund of abstenerse is absteniendo: estoy absteniendo.
- abstenido — The past participle of abstenerse is abstenido: he abstenido, has abstenido, ha abstenido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of abstenerse formed?
Take the infinitive abstenerse, drop the -er ending and the reflexive -se to get the stem absten-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. The full table is above, with every person. Yes, the present of abstenerse is irregular: learn the forms in the table above rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
When do I use the present tense of abstenerse?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Me abstengo de votar en las elecciones.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of abstenerse?
The present (abstengo) and the preterite (abstuve) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of abstenerse?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of abstenerse to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the abstenerse examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Abstenerse conjugation — the full conjugation tables for abstenerse.
- Abstenerse examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for abstenerse.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Stem-Change Finder — find other verbs with the same stem change.
- Reflexive Verb Conjugator — practise reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.