Introduction
Acabar means “to finish, to end up”, and this page covers exactly one thing: acabar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for acabar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about acabar in the present. Acabar is the verb for finishing something: a book, a job, a meal. It is a near-synonym of terminar, and the two are often interchangeable. For example: “Yo acabo el libro.” — I finish the book. Everything on this page uses the forms of acabar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Acabar in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabo |
| tú | acabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acaba |
| nosotros/as | acabamos |
| vosotros/as | acabáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acaban |
Gerund: acabando · Past participle: acabado
The gerund is acabando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy acabando” means the action of acabar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is acabado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he acabado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how acabar is used.
How the present of acabar is formed
Acabar is a regular -ar verb, so the present follows the standard pattern with no surprises. Take the stem acab (the infinitive without its -ar ending) and add the present endings: -o for yo, -as or -es for tú, -a or -e for él/ella/Ud., -amos / -emos / -imos for nosotros, -áis for vosotros, and -an or -en for ellos/ellas/Uds.. That gives you acabo, acabas, acaba, acabamos, acabáis and acaban. Because the verb is regular, once you know the stem and the six endings you can produce every form without memorising a list, and the same pattern works for every other regular -ar verb you learn.
When to use the present of acabar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use acabar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Finishing something
Acabar is the verb for finishing something: a book, a job, a meal. It is a near-synonym of terminar, and the two are often interchangeable. Example: “Yo acabo el libro.” — I finish the book.
2. Having just done something
Acabar de + infinitive means to have just done something. It is one of the most useful structures in Spanish, because it places an action in the immediate past. Example: “Yo acabo de comer.” — I have just eaten.
3. Ending up doing something
Acabar + gerund means to end up doing something. It describes how a situation turns out, often unexpectedly. Example: “Mi hermano acaba viviendo en Madrid.” — My brother ends up living in Madrid.
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and acabar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos los días, siempre or cada semana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Yo acabo el libro.” — I finish the book.
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Spanish often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with acabar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nosotros acabamos de cenar.” — We have just had dinner.
Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the preterite describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos los días or siempre, while the preterite sentences use ayer or la semana pasada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present Tense: “Yo acabo el libro todos los meses.” — I finish the book every month.
Preterite: “Ayer yo acabé el libro.” — Yesterday I finished the book.
Todos los meses describes a routine, so the present is right; ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “El curso acaba en junio todos los años.” — The course ends in June every year.
Preterite: “El curso acabó en junio el año pasado.” — The course ended in June last year.
Todos los años signals repetition, so the present fits; el año pasado names a finished period, so the preterite fits.
Present Tense: “Yo acabo el libro.” — I finish the book.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo acabé el libro.” — the same action, but finished yesterday instead of repeated as a habit.
The present sentence is true every day; the preterite sentence is true once, yesterday. That difference — routine versus one finished event — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: acabar in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Yo acabo el libro.” — I finish the book.
“¿Tú acabas de comer?” — Have you just eaten?
“Mi hermano acaba viviendo en Madrid.” — My brother ends up living in Madrid.
“Nosotros acabamos de cenar.” — We have just had dinner.
“Vosotros acabáis el trabajo.” — You finish the work.
“Ellos acaban la reunión.” — They finish the meeting.
“Yo acabo de leer el periódico.” — I have just finished reading the newspaper.
“El curso acaba en junio.” — The course ends in June.
Common mistakes with acabar in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo acabo comer.” Right: “Yo acabo de comer.” Why: Acabar de + infinitive means to have just done something, and the de is required: acabo de comer, not acabo comer. Without de the sentence is incomplete.
Wrong: “Ellos acaba la reunión.” Right: “Ellos acaban la reunión.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form acaban. The singular acaba belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el curso.
Wrong: “Yo acabo el libro ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo acabé el libro.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to acabé.
Wrong: “Nosotros acabas de cenar.” Right: “Nosotros acabamos de cenar.” Why: Nosotros needs acabamos. The tú form acabas belongs with tú.
Quiz: acabar in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el libro.” (I finish the book.)
- (a) acabas
- (b) acaba
- (c) acabo
Answer: acabo — The yo form of acabar in the present is acabo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ de comer?” (Have you just eaten?)
- (a) acaba
- (b) acabas
- (c) acabo
Answer: acabas — The tú form of acabar in the present is acabas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Mi hermano ______ viviendo en Madrid.” (My brother ends up living in Madrid.)
- (a) acaba
- (b) acabo
- (c) acabas
Answer: acaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of acabar in the present is acaba. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ de cenar.” (We have just had dinner.)
- (a) acabo
- (b) acabas
- (c) acabamos
Answer: acabamos — The nosotros/as form of acabar in the present is acabamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of acabar in the present?
- (a) acabas
- (b) acabáis
- (c) acabo
Answer: acabáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes acabáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros acabáis el trabajo.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la reunión.” (They finish the meeting.)
- (a) acabo
- (b) acabas
- (c) acaban
Answer: acaban — The subject needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, which is acaban.
7. Which is the correct yo form of acabar in the present?
- (a) acabo
- (b) acaba
- (c) acaban
Answer: acabo — The yo form is acabo. The other two options are the él/ella and ellos/ellas forms.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something that happens regularly?
- (a) Yo acabo el libro todos los meses.
- (b) Ayer yo acabé el libro.
- (c) Ayer yo acabé el libro.
Answer: Yo acabo el libro todos los meses. — “Yo acabo el libro todos los meses.” describes something repeated, so it takes the present tense. The other two sentences describe single finished occasions in the past, not habits.
Frequently asked questions
Is acabar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Acabar is a regular -ar verb: the stem is acab- and the present endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis and -an. There are no stem changes, so the whole table follows the standard pattern.
What does acabar de + infinitive mean?
It means to have just done something: 'Acabo de comer' means I have just eaten. The structure places the action in the immediate past, and it is one of the most common ways to talk about what you have just done.
What is the difference between acabar and terminar?
The two are near-synonyms for finishing. The main difference is acabar de + infinitive, which means to have just done something, while terminar de + infinitive means to finish doing something. In most other contexts they are interchangeable.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of acabar — every tense of acabar in one place.
- Acabar examples and quiz — more sentences with acabar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on acabar and other verbs.