diff --git a/homeassistant/components/nina/config_flow.py b/homeassistant/components/nina/config_flow.py
index e048ce81be3f2f..dd4319d566b839 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/nina/config_flow.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/nina/config_flow.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ async def async_step_user(
                 errors["base"] = "cannot_connect"
             except Exception as err:  # noqa: BLE001
                 _LOGGER.exception("Unexpected exception: %s", err)
-                return self.async_abort(reason="unknown")
+                errors["base"] = "unknown"
 
             self.regions = split_regions(self._all_region_codes_sorted, self.regions)
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ async def async_step_init(
                 errors["base"] = "cannot_connect"
             except Exception as err:  # noqa: BLE001
                 _LOGGER.exception("Unexpected exception: %s", err)
-                return self.async_abort(reason="unknown")
+                errors["base"] = "unknown"
 
             self.regions = split_regions(self._all_region_codes_sorted, self.regions)
 
diff --git a/homeassistant/components/nina/strings.json b/homeassistant/components/nina/strings.json
index 98ea88d8798c1f..9747feaddb7ae4 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/nina/strings.json
+++ b/homeassistant/components/nina/strings.json
@@ -38,10 +38,12 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "abort": {
+      "unknown": "[%key:common::config_flow::error::unknown%]"
+    },
     "error": {
       "no_selection": "[%key:component::nina::config::error::no_selection%]",
-      "cannot_connect": "[%key:common::config_flow::error::cannot_connect%]",
-      "unknown": "[%key:common::config_flow::error::unknown%]"
+      "cannot_connect": "[%key:common::config_flow::error::cannot_connect%]"
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/tests/components/nina/test_config_flow.py b/tests/components/nina/test_config_flow.py
index 6bc17cdf674942..309c8860c20946 100644
--- a/tests/components/nina/test_config_flow.py
+++ b/tests/components/nina/test_config_flow.py
@@ -89,7 +89,9 @@ async def test_step_user_unexpected_exception(hass: HomeAssistant) -> None:
             DOMAIN, context={"source": SOURCE_USER}, data=deepcopy(DUMMY_DATA)
         )
 
-        assert result["type"] is FlowResultType.ABORT
+        assert result["type"] is FlowResultType.FORM
+        assert result["errors"] == {"base": "unknown"}
+        hass.config_entries.flow.async_abort(result["flow_id"])
 
 
 async def test_step_user(hass: HomeAssistant) -> None:
@@ -300,7 +302,9 @@ async def test_options_flow_unexpected_exception(hass: HomeAssistant) -> None:
 
         result = await hass.config_entries.options.async_init(config_entry.entry_id)
 
-        assert result["type"] is FlowResultType.ABORT
+        assert result["type"] is FlowResultType.FORM
+        assert result["errors"] == {"base": "unknown"}
+        hass.config_entries.options.async_abort(result["flow_id"])
 
 
 async def test_options_flow_entity_removal(