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abortar

ah-bor-TAR/aβoɾˈtaɾ/

“abortar” means “to abort” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to abort, to cancel

Also: to call off
VerbB1regular ar
A large red button being pressed by a finger to stop a launch process.
gerundabortando
past Participleabortado
infinitiveabortar

📝 In Action

El capitán tuvo que abortar el despegue en el último segundo.

B1

The captain had to abort the takeoff at the last second.

Tuvimos que abortar el plan porque empezó a llover.

A2

We had to call off the plan because it started raining.

El sistema abortó la instalación automáticamente por un error.

B2

The system aborted the installation automatically due to an error.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • abortar la misión – to abort the mission
  • abortar el proceso – to abort the process

to have an abortion

Also: to miscarry
VerbB2regular ar
A doctor in a white coat talking kindly to a patient in a medical office.
gerundabortando
past Participleabortado
infinitiveabortar

📝 In Action

Ella decidió abortar en una clínica privada.

B2

She decided to have an abortion in a private clinic.

El derecho a abortar es un tema de debate en muchos países.

C1

The right to have an abortion is a topic of debate in many countries.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • interrumpir el embarazo (to terminate a pregnancy (softer/clinical phrasing))

Antonyms

  • dar a luz (to give birth)

Common Collocations

  • derecho a abortar – right to have an abortion

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesabortaran
yoabortara
túabortaras
vosotrosabortarais
nosotrosabortáramos
él/ella/ustedabortara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesaborten
yoaborte
túabortes
vosotrosabortéis
nosotrosabortemos
él/ella/ustedaborte

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesabortaron
yoaborté
túabortaste
vosotrosabortasteis
nosotrosabortamos
él/ella/ustedabortó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesabortaban
yoabortaba
túabortabas
vosotrosabortabais
nosotrosabortábamos
él/ella/ustedabortaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesabortan
yoaborto
túabortas
vosotrosabortáis
nosotrosabortamos
él/ella/ustedaborta
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "abortar" in Spanish:

to abort→to cancel→to miscarry→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: abortar

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence correctly uses 'abortar' in a technical context?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
aborto(abortion / miscarriage) — Noun
abortivo(abortifacient / related to abortion) — Adjective
antiaborto(anti-abortion) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'abortare', which describes the act of failing to be born correctly. It comes from 'ab-' (away/from) and 'oriri' (to rise or be born).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: abortFrench: avorter

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'abortar' be used for a meeting?

Usually no. For a meeting, use 'cancelar' (to cancel) or 'posponer' (to postpone). 'Abortar' is reserved for projects, missions, or processes that are 'in progress' or 'active'.

Does 'abortar' change its stem like 'contar' (cuento)?

No. Many learners think it might change to 'abierto' or 'aburto', but it stays 'aborto', 'abortas', etc. It is 100% regular.

How do I say 'miscarriage' without the clinical feel of 'abortar'?

The most natural way to say someone had a miscarriage is 'perder el bebé' (to lose the baby) or 'tener un aborto espontáneo'.