In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages, we study the verb “acabar” in Spanish & Portuguese. The verb “acabar” is an important verb in Spanish and Portuguese that expresses the timing of an action.
Table of Contents
- 1. “acabar” & “acabarse”
- 2. “acabar de”
- 3. “acabar” + Gerund
- 4. “acabar por”
- 5. “acabar con/com”
- Level V – Advanced
1. “acabar” & “acabarse”
If used on its own, the verb “acabar” often means “to finish or complete” or “to reach an end” or “to run out of something.” In Spanish, the verb can also be in the reflexive form “acabarse,” which means “to reach an end” or “to run out or run its course before dying off.” For example:
| SP | Acabamos el proyecto el año pasado. | We finished the project last year. |
| PT | Acabamos o projeto no ano passado. | |
| SP | El partido se acabó. | The match ended. |
| PT | A partida acabou. | |
| SP | Se acabó la leche de la nevera. | The milk in the fridge ran out. |
| PT | O leite na geladeira acabou. | |
| SP | Si se acaba todo eso, me iré de vacaciones. | If all this ends, I’ll go on vacation. |
| PT | Se tudo isso acaba, sairei de férias. |
2. “acabar de”
In Spanish, the verbal expression “acabar de” in the present tense followed by the infinitive is used to describe an event that has just finished in the present, for example:
| Acabo de llegar a casa. | I have just arrived home. |
| Ella acaba de comer. | She has just finished eating. |
If the expression “acabar de” is used to describe something in the distant past that had just finished when another event took place, the imperfect tense of the verb “acabar” is used, for example:
| Acababa de llegar a la casa cuando él me llamó. | I had just arrived home when he called me. |
| Ellos acababan de comer cuando llegamos. | They had just finished eating when we arrived. |
In Portuguese, the verbal expression “acabar de” in the preterite followed by the infinitive is used to describe an event that has just finished in the present. For example:
| Acabei de chegar em casa. | I have just arrived home. |
| Ela acabou de comer. | She has just finished eating. |
3. “acabar” + Gerund
In Portuguese, the verbal “acabar” in the preterite followed by the gerund is used to describe the meaning of finally doing something or ending up doing something unexpectedly. For example:
| Acabei indo para a Itália. | I ended up going to Italy. |
| Você acabou fazendo a lição de casa. | You ended up doing the homework. |
| Acabamos viajando sozinhos. | We ended up traveling alone. |
4. “acabar por”
In Spanish, the verbal expression “acabar por” in the preterite followed by the infinitive is used to describe the meaning of finally doing something or ending up doing something unexpectedly, for example:
| Yo acabé por ir a Italia. | I ended up going to Italy. |
| Tú acabaste por hacer la tarea. | You finally did the task. |
| Acabamos por viajar solos. | We ended up traveling alone. |
5. “acabar con/com”
Finally, the verbal expression “acabar con” (in Spanish) or “acabar com” (in Portuguese) followed by the infinitive means “to finish off,” “to put an end to,” or “to ruin.” For example:
| SP | Tú acabaste con nuestra amistad. | You ruined our friendship. |
| PT | Você acabou com nossa amizade. | |
| SP | La guerra acabó con nuestros planes. | The war ruined our plans. |
| PT | A guerra acabou com nossos planos. | |
| SP | La lluvia acabó con el partido. | The rain finished off the match. |
| PT | A chuva acabou com o jogo. |
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