The expression acabar de is used to describe something that just happened. It is similar to the English phrase “just did something.” Spanish forms this structure by using the verb acabar, followed by de, and then another verb in its base form. In this module, you will learn how to use acabar de to talk about recent actions.
The expression acabar de means “to have just done something.”
Structure:
Acabar + de + verb
Sample Sentences
Yo acabo de llegar. – I just arrived.
Ella acaba de salir. – She just left.
Nosotros acabamos de comer. – We just ate.
Él acaba de terminar el trabajo. – He just finished the work.
Ellos acaban de empezar la reunión. – They just started the meeting.
The verb acabar changes depending on the subject.
Yo acabo de – I just
Tú acabas de – You just
Él acaba de – He just
Ella acaba de – She just
Usted acaba de – You just
Nosotros acabamos de – We just
Ellos acaban de – They just
Ellas acaban de – They just
Ustedes acaban de – You all just
Sample Sentences
Yo acabo de estudiar. – I just studied.
Ella acaba de hablar con el profesor. – She just spoke with the teacher.
Nosotros acabamos de llegar al hotel. – We just arrived at the hotel.
Él acaba de enviar el mensaje. – He just sent the message.
Ellos acaban de abrir el restaurante. – They just opened the restaurant.
Spanish speakers often use acabar de when describing something that happened moments ago.
Sample Sentences
Yo acabo de ver la película. – I just saw the movie.
Ella acaba de comprar pan. – She just bought bread.
Nosotros acabamos de terminar la clase. – We just finished the class.
Él acaba de llamar a su amigo. – He just called his friend.
Ellos acaban de salir del edificio. – They just left the building.
This expression appears frequently in everyday conversations.
Sample Sentences
Yo acabo de llegar a casa. – I just arrived home.
Ella acaba de empezar el proyecto. – She just started the project.
Nosotros acabamos de recibir el mensaje. – We just received the message.
Él acaba de cerrar la tienda. – He just closed the store.
Ellos acaban de terminar el viaje. – They just finished the trip.
Spanish sometimes uses time expressions to emphasize how recent the action is.
Sample Sentences
Yo acabo de llegar ahora. – I just arrived now.
Ella acaba de terminar hace un momento. – She just finished a moment ago.
Nosotros acabamos de ver el resultado. – We just saw the result.
Él acaba de empezar hace poco. – He just started recently.
Ellos acaban de regresar hoy. – They just returned today.
In this module, you learned how the expression acabar de is used to describe actions that just happened. You practiced forms such as acabo de, acaba de, and acabamos de, and you learned how this structure appears frequently in everyday conversations. Understanding acabar de will help you describe very recent actions in Spanish.