Just Finished: Using 'acabar de'
acabar with de and an infinitive to describe very recent actions.
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'acabar de' + infinitive to describe an action that happened only moments ago.
- Conjugate 'acabar' in the present tense: 'Acabo de comer' (I just ate).
- Always include the preposition 'de' between the verb and the infinitive.
- Use the imperfect tense ('acababa de') to say you 'had just' done something.
Overview
The verbal periphrasis acabar de + infinitive is a fundamental structure in Spanish for expressing actions completed in the immediate past. It specifically highlights the recentness or freshness of an event, implying it occurred moments ago. Unlike English, which often uses "just" with the simple past or present perfect ("I just ate" or "I have just eaten"), Spanish employs this distinct grammatical construction to convey that an action has concluded so recently that its effects are still present or relevant in the current moment.
Mastering acabar de at the B1 level provides a precise and idiomatic way to describe these immediate past events, distinguishing them from more distant past actions conveyed by the Pretérito Indefinido or actions completed within an open timeframe by the Pretérito Perfecto. This structure allows for an accurate representation of temporal aspect without relying on complex conjugations of compound tenses. For instance, Acabo de llegar clearly communicates "I have just arrived," emphasizing the very recent conclusion of the journey.
Conjugation Table
| Form | Example (Present Tense) | Translation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| :------------ | :--------------------------- | :------------------------------ | ||
| Yo acabo | Acabo de escribir un email. |
I have just written an email. | ||
| Tú acabas | Acabas de llamarme. |
You have just called me. | ||
| Él/Ella/Usted acaba | Acaba de salir la película. |
The movie has just come out. | ||
| Nosotros/as acabamos | Acabamos de cenar. |
We have just had dinner. | ||
| Vosotros/as acabáis | Acabáis de aprender algo nuevo. |
You all (Spain) have just learned something new. | ||
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes acaban | Acaban de mudarse. |
They have just moved. |
How This Grammar Works
acabar de is a verbal periphrasis, a construction involving two verbs that function as a single unit, with one verb (the auxiliary acabar) carrying the grammatical information (person, number, tense) and the other (the infinitive) conveying the lexical meaning. In this specific case, acabar loses its primary meaning of "to finish" or "to complete a task" and instead acquires an aspectual function, denoting the immediate completion of the action expressed by the infinitive. The preposition de is not merely a connector; it is integral to this semantic shift.de, acabar retains its literal meaning, such as Acabé mi tarea ("I finished my homework"), which describes the completion of a specific task. However, Acabo de terminar mi tarea shifts the focus to the recentness of that completion, meaning "I have just finished my homework." This distinction is crucial for conveying precise temporal nuances in Spanish. The infinitive's role is to specify what action has just occurred, remaining unconjugated regardless of the subject or tense of acabar.Formation Pattern
acabar de is straightforward once you understand its three essential components. This pattern is rigid and does not permit variations in its core structure.
acabar: Begin by conjugating the verb acabar to match the subject of your sentence and the desired tense. For the immediate past in the present, this will almost always be the present indicative (e.g., acabo, acabas, acaba). If you are describing an action that had just occurred in a past narrative, you would use the imperfect tense (e.g., acababa, acabábamos). This conjugated form carries the person, number, and primary tense information.
de: Immediately following the conjugated form of acabar, you must place the preposition de. This small word is non-negotiable and acts as the crucial link that transforms acabar's meaning from "to finish" to "to have just finished." Omitting de will result in an ungrammatical or semantically different sentence, as acabar would then signify literal completion of the infinitive's action.
hablar, comer, vivir). The infinitive specifies the particular action that has just taken place.
Acabar (conjugated) | Component 2: de | Component 3: Infinitive | Example Phrase |
Ella acaba | de | llegar | Ella acaba de llegar. |
Nosotros acabamos | de | ver | Nosotros acabamos de ver. |
Tú acabas | de | comprar | Tú acabas de comprar. |
Ellos acaban de empezar la reunión. (They have just started the meeting.) Here, acaban indicates the third-person plural subject, de establishes the "just finished" meaning, and empezar specifies the action as "to start." The rigidity of this three-part structure ensures clarity and precision.
When To Use It
acabar de is to communicate that an action was completed moments before the present moment, or moments before a specific point in the past. Its utility lies in emphasizing the absolute freshness of an event, often implying a direct consequence or relevance to the current situation.- To Express Immediate Completion in the Present Moment: This is its most frequent and direct application. You use it when an action has concluded so recently that its effects are still palpable, or it directly explains your current state or a new piece of information.
Acabo de comer, así que no tengo hambre.(I've just eaten, so I'm not hungry.) – The speaker's satiety is a direct result of the very recent meal.¿Puedes esperar un minuto? Acabo de salir de la ducha.(Can you wait a minute? I've just gotten out of the shower.) – The speaker is likely still wet or getting dressed, hence the request to wait.Acaban de anunciar los resultados del examen.(They've just announced the exam results.) – The news is current and immediately relevant for discussion.
- To Describe a Prior Immediate Completion in a Past Narrative (Imperfect Tense): When narrating past events, you can use
acabarin the imperfect tense (acababa de) to indicate that an action had just happened when another event occurred, often an interruption. This sets a very specific temporal background, explaining the immediate preceding context for another past action. Acabábamos de sentarnos a la mesa cuando sonó el teléfono.(We had just sat down at the table when the phone rang.) – The act of sitting down was very recent when the phone interrupted, creating a clear sequence.Ella acababa de cerrar la puerta cuando se dio cuenta de que había olvidado las llaves.(She had just closed the door when she realized she had forgotten the keys.) – The realization followed immediately after closing the door, making theacababa decrucial for precise narrative timing.- This usage is vital for creating detailed and dynamic narratives, establishing a clear sequence of events where one action immediately precedes another within a past context.
- For Emphasis on Recent News or Information: Whether it is a social media update, a news report, or a personal anecdote,
acabar delends a sense of immediacy and relevance, capturing the fleeting nature of fresh information. ¡Acabo de ver una ardilla en mi jardín!(I've just seen a squirrel in my garden!) – Expresses immediate observation and mild surprise.La empresa acaba de lanzar un nuevo producto.(The company has just launched a new product.) – Highlights the novelty and current impact of the product release.
acabar de specifically refers to when the action finished. It does not describe an action that is currently in progress or one that was completed a long time ago. Its strength lies in its precision regarding the immediate past, making it an indispensable tool for nuanced communication.Common Mistakes
acabar de. Recognizing these pitfalls is key to using the periphrasis accurately and sounding more like a native speaker, reflecting a true B1 level comprehension.- Omitting the Preposition
de: This is perhaps the most common and structurally disruptive mistake. Learners often forget to includedebetween the conjugatedacabarand the infinitive. - Incorrect:
Yo acabo llegar.(This literally translates to something like "I finish arrive," which is nonsensical.) - Correct:
Yo acabo de llegar.(I have just arrived.) - Explanation: Without
de,acabarreverts to its literal meaning of "to finish" or "to complete," making the phrase ungrammatical in this context. Thedeis not optional; it is a fundamental and necessary component that facilitates the aspectual shift ofacabarto mean "to have just finished."
- Conjugating the Second Verb (Infinitive): Another frequent error is attempting to conjugate the main action verb that follows
de. The infinitive must always remain in its base form (e.g.,-ar,-er,-ir). - Incorrect:
Ellos acaban de comieron.(This incorrectly conjugatescomerinto the past tense,comieron.) - Correct:
Ellos acaban de comer.(They have just eaten.) - Explanation: The conjugation of
acabaralready carries all necessary grammatical information (person, number, tense). The infinitive's role is solely to convey the specific action without additional grammatical inflections, making any further conjugation redundant and incorrect.
- Incorrect Tense of
acabarfor "Just Now": Whileacabar decan technically be formed withacabarin other tenses, its idiomatic meaning of "to have just done something" is almost exclusively tied to the present (acabo de) and imperfect (acababa de) tenses ofacabar. Using other tenses fundamentally alters its meaning. - Incorrect (for "just now"):
Ayer acabé de ir al supermercado.(This translates more closely to "Yesterday I finished going to the supermarket," losing the immediacy.) - Correct (for "just now"):
Acabo de ir al supermercado.(I have just gone to the supermarket.) or, in a past narrative,Había acabado de ir al supermercado.(I had just gone to the supermarket, thoughacababa de iris more common for immediate past in narrative.) - Explanation: If you use the
Pretérito Indefinido(acabé de), it usually means "I finished doing something," not "I had just done something." This distinction is critical:Acabé de estudiar antes de salirmeans "I finished studying before leaving," describing a completed task, not an immediate past action.
- Using
acabar defor Non-Immediate Past Actions:Acabar derefers to events completed moments ago, typically within the last few minutes or hours, but rarely longer. Applying it to events from yesterday or last week diminishes its natural usage and sounds unnatural to native speakers. - Incorrect:
La semana pasada acabo de visitar Madrid.(This incorrectly implies that last week's visit concluded moments ago.) - Correct:
La semana pasada visité Madrid.(Last week I visited Madrid.) - Explanation: For actions further in the past, standard past tenses like the
Pretérito IndefinidoorPretérito Perfectoare appropriate. Reserveacabar defor truly recent completions where the recency is a key communicative element.
- Incorrect Pronoun Placement with Reflexive Verbs: When the infinitive is a reflexive verb (e.g.,
ducharse,levantarse), the reflexive pronoun (me,te,se,nos,os,se) can be placed in two positions. Learners sometimes combine these, leading to redundancy. - Correct Option 1 (before conjugated
acabar):Me acabo de duchar.(I have just showered.) - Correct Option 2 (attached to infinitive):
Acabo de ducharme.(I have just showered.) - Incorrect:
Me acabo de ducharme.(This is redundant and grammatically incorrect, effectively stating the pronoun twice.) - Explanation: Both correct options are widely used and accepted. You can choose either based on personal preference or rhythmic flow in a sentence. The second option (attached to the infinitive) is often favored in more formal writing or when the periphrasis is embedded in a longer phrase.
Contrast With Similar Patterns
acabar de is deepened by distinguishing it from other Spanish grammatical structures that might seem similar but convey different temporal or aspectual nuances. These comparisons clarify why acabar de is uniquely suited for the immediate past.Acabar devs.Pretérito Perfecto(haber+ past participle):Acabar de+ Infinitive: Emphasizes the immediacy of an action's completion. The action is so recent that its impact or aftermath is still keenly felt in the present moment.Acabo de terminar mi café.(I have just finished my coffee.) – Implies the cup is still warm, or the experience is vividly fresh.Pretérito Perfecto(He terminado mi café.): Indicates an action completed within a timeframe that is still considered "present" (e.g., today, this week, ever). It focuses on the completion of the action and its relevance to the present, but not necessarily its extreme recentness. The timeframe can be hours or even longer ago.He terminado mi café esta mañana.(I have finished my coffee this morning.) – This could have happened at 8 AM or 11 AM, without specifying extreme recency.- Key Distinction: While both relate past actions to the present,
acabar deadds the crucial layer of "just now." You would useacabo de llamar a mi madreif the phone is still warm from the call, buthe llamado a mi madreif you called her an hour ago, maintaining a connection to the present without stressing immediacy.
Acabar devs.Terminar de+ Infinitive:Acabar de+ Infinitive: (as discussed) Signals an action that has just been completed. It describes the very recent moment of conclusion, highlighting the freshness of the event.Acabo de leer el último capítulo.(I have just read the last chapter.) – The act of finishing that specific chapter happened moments ago.Terminar de+ Infinitive: Implies the completion of a task, process, or the entirety of something. It focuses on the successful conclusion of an activity or project, without necessarily implying recency.He terminado de leer el libro.(I have finished reading the book.) – This implies you have completed the entire book, but you could have finished it yesterday or a week ago.- Key Distinction:
Acabar dehighlights when something finished (very recently).Terminar dehighlights that something finished (the whole task or process). Whileacabarcan sometimes be a direct synonym forterminarin its literal sense, their behavior in these periphrases differs significantly.
Acabar devs.Recién+ Past Tense (Latin America):Acabar de+ Infinitive: The standard and universally understood way to express "to have just done something" across all Spanish-speaking regions. It is grammatically structured and always clear.Acabo de llegar.(I have just arrived.)Recién+Pretérito IndefinidoorPretérito Perfecto(primarily Latin America): In many parts of Latin America, particularly in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile), the adverbreciénis frequently used with a past tense verb to convey the same meaning of "just now" or "very recently."Recién llegué.(I just arrived.) – Common and natural in Argentina.Recién he llegado.(I just arrived.) – Less common, but sometimes heard in regions wherePretérito Perfectois more prevalent.- Key Distinction:
Reciénis an adverb, offering a more direct temporal indicator, whileacabar deis a structured verbal periphrasis. Both are perfectly valid for expressing immediate past. Learners should be aware ofreciénfor comprehension in Latin American contexts, butacabar deprovides a grammatically robust and universally accepted alternative that will be understood from Madrid to Mexico City.
Real Conversations
Acabar de is not merely a grammar rule; it is a cornerstone of natural Spanish conversation, reflecting the immediacy of daily life and interactions. You will encounter it constantly in various modern contexts, from casual texts to professional exchanges.
- Texting and Instant Messaging: This periphrasis is ideal for quick updates on your immediate status or recent actions, providing context for your availability or response time.
- ¿Estás libre? Acabo de terminar mi reunión. (Are you free? I've just finished my meeting.) – A common way to signal newfound availability.
- Perdón por no contestar, acabo de ver tu mensaje. (Sorry for not answering, I've just seen your message.) – A frequent explanation for a slight delay, emphasizing that the message was received very recently.
- Social Media Updates: When sharing recent experiences or observations, acabar de is a concise and effective choice to convey the freshness of the event.
- ¡Acabamos de probar el mejor taco de la ciudad! (We've just tried the best taco in the city!) – Sharing an immediate culinary experience.
- Acabo de publicar mi nueva foto. (I've just posted my new photo.) – Informing followers of new content immediately.
- Work and Professional Settings (Informal): While not typically used in highly formal reports, acabar de is very common in casual office conversations, quick emails, or team chats to provide timely updates on tasks.
- Acabo de enviar el informe. (I've just sent the report.) – A direct and immediate status update.
- El jefe acaba de llamar para una actualización. (The boss has just called for an update.) – Conveying recent, important news.
- Everyday Situations: From describing mundane recent actions to reacting to immediate events, acabar de is pervasive in daily Spanish speech.
- Acabo de darme cuenta de que olvidé mi cartera. (I've just realized I forgot my wallet.) – Expressing a recent realization.
- Mi hermano acaba de llegar del trabajo. (My brother has just arrived from work.) – Informing someone of an immediate arrival.
- Notice how this construction imbues a sense of present relevance to past actions. The world of a Spanish speaker is full of things that have "just" happened, and acabar de is the precise linguistic tool used to capture that specific temporal nuance.
Progressive Practice
To truly internalize the use of acabar de, engage in focused practice that gradually increases in complexity. Active application is far more effective than passive recognition.
- Sentence Transformation (Simple): Take simple sentences expressed in the Pretérito Perfecto or Pretérito Indefinido and, if contextually appropriate for an immediate past action, transform them using acabar de. This exercise helps solidify the nuance of recency.
- Original: He comido mi desayuno. (I have eaten my breakfast.)
- Transformation: Acabo de comer mi desayuno. (I have just eaten my breakfast.)
- Original: Cerré la puerta. (I closed the door.)
- Transformation: Acabo de cerrar la puerta. (I have just closed the door.)
- Scenario Response (Intermediate): Read a short scenario and formulate a natural response using acabar de. This promotes contextual understanding and spontaneous application.
- Scenario: Your friend asks, "Why are you wearing a towel?"
- Your Response: Acabo de ducharme. (I've just showered.) or Me acabo de duchar.
- Scenario: Your colleague enters the office looking tired. You ask, "What's wrong?"
- Your Response: Acabo de terminar un informe muy largo. (I've just finished a very long report.)
- Error Identification and Correction (Intermediate to Advanced): Analyze sentences for common mistakes related to acabar de and meticulously correct them. This hones your grammatical precision.
- Error: Ella acaba ver a Juan.
- Correction: Ella acaba de ver a Juan. (The missing de.)
- Error: Nosotros acabamos de escribimos la carta.
- Correction: Nosotros acabamos de escribir la carta. (The infinitive was incorrectly conjugated.)
- Error: Mañana acabo de ir al dentista. (This incorrectly uses acabar de for a future action.)
- Correction (for future): Mañana iré al dentista. or Mañana voy a ir al dentista. (Here, acabar de is not appropriate for a future event; it loses its "just now" meaning.)
- Narrative Building (Advanced): Construct a short paragraph describing a sequence of past events, purposefully incorporating both acabar de in the present and acababa de in the imperfect to demonstrate precise timing and narrative flow.
- Example: Acabo de volver de la universidad y estoy cansado. Cuando salí de casa esta mañana, acababa de ver las noticias y supe que iba a llover. Por suerte, acabo de comprar un paraguas. (I've just returned from university and I'm tired. When I left home this morning, I had just seen the news and knew it was going to rain. Luckily, I've just bought an umbrella.)
These progressive exercises encourage active application of the rule, solidifying understanding and leading to more fluid, accurate, and native-sounding Spanish.
Quick FAQ
acabar de, ensuring a comprehensive understanding for B1 learners.- Q: Can
acabar debe used in tenses other than the present and imperfect? - A: While grammatically possible to conjugate
acabarin other tenses (e.g.,Acabaré de leer el libro- "I will finish reading the book"), doing so generally strips the periphrasis of its special "just now" meaning. In such cases,acabartypically reverts to its literal sense of "to finish" or "to complete," making it functionally similar toterminar de. The core "immediate past" concept is almost exclusively conveyed byacabarin the present (acabo de) or imperfect (acababa de) indicative. Therefore, for the specific meaning of "to have just done something," adhere to these two tenses.
- Q: Is
acabar deformal or informal? - A:
Acabar deis neutral in register and is appropriate for both formal and informal contexts. You will hear it seamlessly integrated into casual conversations among friends (Acabo de ver tu historia en Instagram) and also in more formal professional settings, such as an interview or a business email (Acabo de revisar los documentos que me envió). Its usage is so deeply ingrained and grammatically standard in Spanish that it does not carry any specific connotation of formality or informality.
- Q: Does
acabar dework with all types of verbs, including irregular ones? - A: Yes, it works with all verbs, regardless of their regularity or type (e.g., transitive, intransitive, reflexive). This is a significant advantage of periphrasis constructions, as the main action verb always appears in its infinitive form, which is inherently unconjugated. Therefore, you do not need to worry about irregular conjugations for the action verb when using
acabar de. The only verb you need to conjugate correctly and pay attention to its regularity isacabaritself. For instance,Acabo de hacer la cena("I've just made dinner") uses the irregular verbhacerin its infinitive form without issue.
- Q: When should I use
lo acabo de hacerversusacabo de hacerlo? - A: Both placements of object pronouns (direct, indirect, or reflexive) are grammatically correct and widely accepted with verbal periphrases like
acabar de. You have flexibility in this regard: Lo acabo de hacer.(I have just done it.) – The pronoun (lo) precedes the conjugated auxiliary verb (acabo). This is a very common and natural construction, often feeling slightly more conversational.Acabo de hacerlo. (I have just done it.) – The pronoun (lo) is attached directly to the end of the infinitive (hacer). This option is also widely used and sometimes provides a subtle emphasis on the action itself, or might be preferred for rhythmic reasons, especially with longer infinitives.- You can choose either option based on personal preference or rhythmic flow in a sentence. Both are equally valid and understood by native speakers. Just remember to maintain consistency within your own speech or writing. For instance, in response to
¿Ya compraste el pan?you could say,Sí, lo acabo de comprar.orSí, acabo de comprarlo.
- Q: Can I use
acabar poras a synonym foracabar de? - A: No,
acabar porhas a distinctly different meaning and should not be used interchangeably withacabar de.Acabar por+ infinitive means "to end up (doing something)" or "to eventually do something," often implying a final outcome after a process, a series of events, or even a struggle. Después de tanto pensar, acabé por aceptar la oferta.(After so much thought, I ended up accepting the offer.)- This construction highlights a completed process leading to a final action, rather than the immediate completion of an action. Understanding this distinction prevents significant semantic errors.
Conjugation of 'Acabar' (Present Tense)
| Subject | Conjugation | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yo
|
acabo
|
acabo de + inf
|
Acabo de salir
|
|
Tú
|
acabas
|
acabas de + inf
|
Acabas de comer
|
|
Él/Ella/Ud.
|
acaba
|
acaba de + inf
|
Él acaba de llegar
|
|
Nosotros
|
acabamos
|
acabamos de + inf
|
Acabamos de ver
|
|
Vosotros
|
acabáis
|
acabáis de + inf
|
Acabáis de hacer
|
|
Ellos/Ellas/Uds.
|
acaban
|
acaban de + inf
|
Ellos acaban de ir
|
Meanings
This construction indicates an action that was completed in the immediate past relative to the moment of speaking.
Immediate Past
An event that occurred seconds or minutes ago.
“Acabo de ver a Juan.”
“Acabamos de terminar el examen.”
Past-in-the-Past
An event that occurred immediately before another past event.
“Cuando llegué, ella acababa de salir.”
“Él acababa de comer cuando sonó el teléfono.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Acabo de + [inf]
|
Acabo de llegar
|
|
Negative
|
No acabo de + [inf]
|
No acabo de entender
|
|
Interrogative
|
¿Acabas de + [inf]?
|
¿Acabas de llamar?
|
|
Past (Imperfect)
|
Acababa de + [inf]
|
Acababa de salir
|
|
Plural
|
Acabamos de + [inf]
|
Acabamos de comer
|
|
Formal
|
Usted acaba de + [inf]
|
Usted acaba de recibirlo
|
Formality Spectrum
Acabo de finalizar el informe. (Workplace)
Acabo de terminar el informe. (Workplace)
Acabo de acabar el informe. (Workplace)
Ya terminé el reporte. (Workplace)
The 'Acabar de' Timeline
Immediate Past
- Acabar de Just happened
Future
- Voy a Going to
Examples by Level
Acabo de comer.
I just ate.
Acabo de llegar.
I just arrived.
Acabo de ver la película.
I just saw the movie.
Acabo de comprar esto.
I just bought this.
¿Acabas de terminar tu tarea?
Did you just finish your homework?
No acabo de entender la lección.
I don't quite understand the lesson.
Ellos acaban de salir de casa.
They just left the house.
Acabamos de recibir una carta.
We just received a letter.
Cuando llegué, él acababa de irse.
When I arrived, he had just left.
Acabo de darme cuenta de mi error.
I just realized my mistake.
Habíamos acabado de cenar cuando empezó a llover.
We had just finished dinner when it started to rain.
¿Acabáis de escuchar esa noticia?
Did you all just hear that news?
No acabo de ver la lógica en su argumento.
I don't quite see the logic in his argument.
Acababan de firmar el contrato cuando se anunció la crisis.
They had just signed the contract when the crisis was announced.
Acabo de enterarme de que el vuelo se canceló.
I just found out the flight was canceled.
Aunque acabo de empezar, ya me gusta mucho el curso.
Although I just started, I already like the course a lot.
La situación era tensa; acababan de producirse los disturbios.
The situation was tense; the riots had just occurred.
No acabo de asimilar la magnitud de este descubrimiento.
I haven't quite grasped the magnitude of this discovery.
Acabo de ser informado sobre los cambios en la política.
I have just been informed about the policy changes.
Habían acabado de deliberar cuando el juez entró.
They had just finished deliberating when the judge entered.
No acabo de vislumbrar una solución viable a corto plazo.
I don't quite envision a viable short-term solution.
Acababa de consumarse la traición cuando el rey fue arrestado.
The betrayal had just been consummated when the king was arrested.
Acabo de percatarme de la sutileza de su comentario.
I have just realized the subtlety of his comment.
Habían acabado de redactar el manifiesto cuando estalló la guerra.
They had just finished drafting the manifesto when the war broke out.
Easily Confused
Both mean 'to finish', but 'acabar de' is an aspectual marker for recency, while 'terminar' is a standard verb.
Both express recency.
Both relate to the past.
Common Mistakes
Acabo comer
Acabo de comer
Acabo de comí
Acabo de comer
Yo acabo de
Acabo de
Acabo de comiendo
Acabo de comer
¿Acabas tú de comer?
¿Acabas de comer?
Acabo de lo hecho
Acabo de hacerlo
Acabamos de fuimos
Acabamos de ir
Acababa de comí
Acababa de comer
No acabo de entiendo
No acabo de entender
Acabo de me duché
Acabo de ducharme
Acabo de haber comido
Acabo de comer
Acabo de ser visto
Acabo de ver
Acabo de que comí
Acabo de comer
Sentence Patterns
Acabo de ___.
No acabo de ___.
¿Acabas de ___?
Cuando llegué, ella acababa de ___.
Real World Usage
Acabo de ver tu mensaje.
Acabo de enviar el reporte.
Acabo de llegar al hotel.
Acabo de pedir la comida.
Acabo de terminar mis estudios.
Acabo de publicar una foto.
The 'de' rule
Don't conjugate the second verb
Use it for excuses
Regional variations
Smart Tips
Always use 'acabar de' + infinitive.
Use 'acababa de' to set the scene.
Keep it simple: infinitive.
Use 'No acabo de' to express 'I don't quite...'.
Pronunciation
Linking
The 'd' in 'de' often links to the following vowel.
Statement
Acabo de comer. (Falling intonation)
Neutral information.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Acabar' as 'A-CAB-AR' (A Cab Arrives). You just arrived in a cab!
Visual Association
Imagine a clock where the second hand just ticked. You are standing right at the edge of the past.
Rhyme
Acabar de, you see, means just done, as can be.
Story
I was hungry. I just ate (Acabo de comer). Then I was tired. I just slept (Acabo de dormir). Now I am ready to work.
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 sentences about things you did in the last 10 minutes using 'Acabo de'.
Cultural Notes
In many regions, 'recién' is used instead of 'acabar de'.
'Acabar de' is the standard and most common form.
Both 'acabar de' and 'recién' are common, but 'acabar de' is preferred for immediate actions.
Comes from the Latin 'ad capare' (to reach the end).
Conversation Starters
¿Qué acabas de hacer?
¿Acabas de ver las noticias?
¿Qué acababas de hacer antes de esta clase?
¿Por qué no acabas de entender este concepto?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Yo ___ de comer.
Acabo de ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Acabo comer.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I just arrived.
Answer starts with: Aca...
When I arrived, he ___.
Nosotros ___ de terminar.
Find and fix the mistake:
Acabo de comí.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesYo ___ de comer.
Acabo de ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Acabo comer.
de / acabo / ver / lo
I just arrived.
When I arrived, he ___.
Nosotros ___ de terminar.
Find and fix the mistake:
Acabo de comí.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercises¿Tú ___ (just/finish) la tarea?
We just arrived.
de / acabo / lo / ver
Match the phrases:
Usted ___ de pedir un café.
Me acabo de ducharme.
Yo ___ (had just fallen asleep) cuando mi gato gritó.
Translate to Spanish.
Which sentence means it happened 30 seconds ago?
Vosotros ___ (just/buy) las entradas.
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, it is strictly for the immediate past.
No, the second verb remains in the infinitive.
It is neutral and used in all registers.
That would be redundant; just use 'acabar de'.
Yes, e.g., 'Acabo de ducharme'.
It is a regional variation common in Latin America.
Always 'acabo de'.
No, it is only used in the present and imperfect.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
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4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Venir de + infinitive
Spanish uses 'finish', French uses 'come'.
Gerade + verb
German uses an adverb, Spanish uses a verb construction.
Verb-ta bakari
Japanese uses a particle/suffix structure.
Taw/Lissa + verb
Arabic uses particles, Spanish uses a verb.
Gang + verb
Chinese does not conjugate the verb.
Just + past tense
English uses an adverb, Spanish uses a periphrasis.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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