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BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VERB

abster

to abstain (se abster, word for word to abstain yourself)

  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: abstendo
  • Past participle: abstido

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. eu I abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you abstain
  3. nós we abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all abstain

Past

Pretérito Perfeito · finished actions

  1. eu I abstained
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you abstained
  3. nós we abstained
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all abstained

Future

Futuro com ir · plans: “going to”

  1. eu I am going to abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you are going to abstain
  3. nós we are going to abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all are going to abstain

Imperfect

Pretérito Imperfeito · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. eu I used to abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you used to abstain
  3. nós we used to abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all used to abstain

Conditional

Futuro do Pretérito · “would”

  1. eu I would abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente you would abstain
  3. nós we would abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas you all would abstain

Present subjunctive

Presente do Subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. eu (that) I abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (that) you abstain
  3. nós (that) we abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas (that) you all abstain

Past subjunctive

Imperfeito do Subjuntivo · “if I were”, “se …”

  1. eu (if) I abstained
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (if) you abstained
  3. nós (if) we abstained
  4. vocês, eles, elas (if) you all abstained

Future subjunctive

Futuro do Subjuntivo · “when” and “if” about the future

  1. eu (when) I abstain
  2. você, ele, ela, a gente (when) you abstain
  3. nós (when) we abstain
  4. vocês, eles, elas (when) you all abstain

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders

  1. você abstain!
  2. vocês abstain! (all of you)

How to use abster

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Eu me abstenho de opinar sobre isso.

    I refrain from giving my opinion on that.

  2. Past

    Dois vereadores se abstiveram na votação.

    Two councillors abstained in the vote.

  3. Future

    Vou me abster de doce até o casamento.

    I'm going to abstain from sweets until the wedding.

  4. Imperfect

    Na Quaresma, minha avó se abstinha de carne.

    During Lent, my grandmother abstained from meat.

  5. Conditional

    Eu me absteria de comentar, se fosse você.

    I'd refrain from commenting, if I were you.

  6. Present subjunctive

    O médico pediu que ele se abstenha de álcool.

    The doctor asked him to abstain from alcohol.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Se eu me abstivesse, a proposta não passaria.

    If I abstained, the proposal wouldn't pass.

  8. Future subjunctive

    Se você se abstiver, não reclame do resultado.

    If you abstain, don't complain about the result.

  9. Imperative

    Abstenha-se de fumar dentro do hospital.

    Refrain from smoking inside the hospital.

Good to know

  • "Se abster de" is to abstain from something; it follows "ter": me abstenho, se absteve.
  • In a vote, "se abster" is to abstain; "abstenção" is the abstention.

Where you hear abster

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Brazilian Portuguese · Advanced Level 3

  • Eu me abstenho nesta votação. I abstain in this vote.
  • Na última assembleia, eu me abstive. At the last meeting, I abstained.
  • Se não houver acordo, eu vou me abster. If there's no agreement, I'm going to abstain.
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I'll Do It for Free

Advanced Level 3 · Eu me abstenho.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.