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abortar

ah-bor-TARaβoɾˈtaɾ

“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

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

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

Present Subjunctive

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

Indicative

Preterite

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

Imperfect

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

Present

yoaborto
túabortas
él/ella/ustedaborta
nosotrosabortamos
vosotrosabortáis
ellos/ellas/ustedesabortan
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'.