Here we are going to look at using acabar de to say that someone or something has (or had) just done something.
To say someone or something has just done something, firstly use the verb acabar in the present tense, followed by the word de which is as follows:
- acabo de…. = I have just….
- acabas de…. = You have just*….
- acaba de…. = He/She/It has just…. + You have just**….
- acabamos de…. = We have just….
- acabáis de…. = You have just***….
- acaban de…. = They have just…. + You have just****….
* Speaking to one friend/one child
** Speaking to one stranger
*** Speaking to two or more friends
**** Speaking to 2(+) strangers
You then add a verb, which must be in the infinitive form (i.e. the dictionary form of the verb which ends in ar, er or ir), for example:
- Acabo de comer. = I have just eaten.
- Acabas de cocinar.= You have just cooked*.
- ¿Acabas de llegar a casa? = Have you just arrived home?**
- Acaba de ir a Japón. = He/She/It has just gone to Japan OR You have just gone to Japan**
- Acabamos de comer. = We have just eaten.
- ¿Acabáis de comprar el coche? = Have you just bought the car?***
- Acaban de salir. = They have just gone out OR You have just gone out****
* Speaking to one friend/one child
** Speaking to one stranger
*** Speaking to two or more friends
**** Speaking to 2(+) strangers
When using a reflexive verb, you simply place the reflexive verb pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os or se) on the end of the infinitive, for example:
- Acabo de levantarme. = I have just got (myself) up.
- Acabamos de levantarnos. = We have just got (ourselves) up.
You can alternatively put it in front of the main verb, for example:
- Me acabo de levantar. = I have just got (myself) up.
- Nos acabamos de levantar. = We have just got (ourselves) up.
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How to say that someone had just done something in Spanish
To say that someone or something had just done something you use the imperfect tense of acabar followed by the word de.
This is then followed by the infinitive (i.e. the dictionary form of the verb which ends in ar, er or ir), for example:
- Acababa de comer. = I had just eaten.
- Acababas de llegar a España. = You had just arrived in Spain*
- Acababa de escribir = He/She/It had just written OR You had just written**
- Acabábamos de comprar el coche. = We had just bought the car.
- Acababais de salir. = You had just gone out***
- Acababan de volver a Francia. = They had just gone back to France OR You had just gone back to France****
* Speaking to one friend/one child
** Speaking to one stranger
*** Speaking to two or more friends
**** Speaking to 2(+) strangers
With reflexive verbs you use the same format as previously discussed above, for example:
- Acababa de levantarme (or Me acababa de levantar) = I had just got (myself) up.
- Acabábamos de levantarnos (or Nos acabábamos de levantar) = We had just got (ourselves) up.
I hope that you now understand how to use acabar de to express that someone has or had just done something. If you have any questions, feel free to get in contact.
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