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The verb acabarThis is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish. |
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#1
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The verb acabar
I know you can use it with acabar de then an infinitive. But I have heard it a lot in songs/TV broadcasts/regular TV programs and it is definitely not in that form. I can't find a real definitive answer as to what it means other than in its acabar + de form to mean just did something.
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#2
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I am not sure what you want, but(t)
Yes, I am butting in... Acabar de comprar Acabo de comprar acabas de comprar acaba de comprar . . . Get it? |
#3
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Yeah, I get that part of the usage as I said in my post. But what about when you use it to mean like "finish" or something of that sort? When would you use acabar vs terminar?
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#4
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I know what you mean. I generally hear the word "terminar" more frequently than "acabar". I heard it said "acabados" talking about finishing ub a project at work, but I have also heard "terminados" used as well. So I don't know. I'd be interested to know as well. Good Question!
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#5
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Acabar de + infinitive means to have just finished doing something.
Acaban de comer. = They just finished eating. Acabar, without the preposition de and infinitive, means 'to finish'. Acabé lo que me mandaste. = I finished what you told me to do. Hemos acabado los quehaceres. = We've finished the chores. The pronominal form is also used, but means 'to run out (of something)'. Se nos acaba el amor. = Our love is ending. Se nos acabaron las manzanas. = We're out of apples. Last edited by Rusty; October 24, 2011 at 08:08 AM. |
#6
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Quote:
Now, as to acabar vs terminar. Acabo de hacer las compras de la semana - I just finished buying this week's groceries. Terminé de hacer las compras de esta semana - I finished all the buying for this week. |
#7
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"Acabar de" and "terminar de" can be different the way Chileno pointed out, but they are very often used as synonyms. Many people here use "acabar" in a more colloquial mood and "terminar" in a more formal environment:
·Acabó/terminó mi tortura: por fin estoy de vacaciones. My torture has ended: I'm on holidays at last. ·¿Ya acabaste/terminaste la tarea? Have you finished your homework? ·No acabamos/terminamos el partido porque empezó a llover. We didn't finish the game because it started to rain. ·Se les acabó/terminó el dinero antes de que terminaran/acabaran de construir la casa. They ran out of money before they could finish building the house. ·¡Acaba/termina de comer! Finish eating now! ·No he acabado/terminado de pagar mi coche. I haven't finished paying for my car. ·¿Puedes ayudarle a Pedro? Por más que intenta, no acaba/termina de escribir ese informe. Can you help Pedro? He's trying hard, but he cannot finish writing that report. ·Ya va a ser de noche y todavía no puedo acabar/terminar de cortar el pasto. It's almost night and I haven't been able to finish mowing the grass yet. @Caliber: If you're talking about the finishing of a built object, like when a piece of furniture has been painted and polished, "acabado" and "terminado" are also synonyms for a Mexican. ·El acabado/terminado mate de la mesa. ·Los acabados/terminados de la casa. ·El detalle de la ventana está terminado/acabado en madera.
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