abstenerse Present Conjugation
abstenerse — to refrain
The present of abstenerse follows the pattern of tener: me abstengo, te abstienes, se abstiene.
abstenerse Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this tense to talk about current habits, such as food you avoid or personal resolutions you keep daily.
Notes on abstenerse in the Present
Abstenerse is a compound of 'tener'. It has a 'yo-go' form (abstengo) and a stem change (e > ie) in the tú, él, and ellos forms.
Example Sentences
Me abstengo de comer carne los viernes.
I refrain from eating meat on Fridays.
yo
¿Por qué no te abstienes de comentar?
Why don't you refrain from commenting?
tú
Se abstienen de votar por motivos religiosos.
They refrain from voting for religious reasons.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Yo me absteno.
Correct: Yo me abstengo.
Why: Like the verb 'tener', this verb adds a 'g' in the first person singular.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: me abstuve
The preterite uses the 'uv' stem: me abstuve, te abstuviste, se abstuvo.
Imperfect
yo: me abstenía
The imperfect is regular for abstenerse: me abstenía, te abstenías, se abstenía.
Future
yo: me abstendré
The future uses the stem 'abstendr-': me abstendré, te abstendrás, se abstendrá.
Conditional
yo: me abstendría
The conditional uses the stem 'abstendr-': me abstendría, te abstendrías.
Present Subjunctive
yo: me abstenga
The subjunctive uses the 'absteng-' stem: me abstenga, te abstengas, se abstenga.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: me abstuviera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'abstuv-' stem: me abstuviera, te abstuvieras.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: abstente
Direct commands: abstente (tú), absténgase (usted), absteneos (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no te abstengas
Negative commands use the subjunctive: no te abstengas, no se abstenga.