Introduction
Acabar means «to finish, to end up». Acabar means to finish or to end up: the work, a meal, in a place. It is a regular -ar verb, and it is famous for one idiom: acabar de + infinitive means to have just done something (acabo de comer = I have just eaten). It is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of acabar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo acabo el trabajo todos los días.» — I finish the work every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | acabar |
| English | to finish, to end up |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | acabando |
| Past participle | acabado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: acabando · Past participle: acabado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabo |
| tú | acabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acaba |
| nosotros/as | acabamos |
| vosotros/as | acabáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acaban |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For acabar, the yo form is acabo, as in «Yo acabo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabé |
| tú | acabaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabó |
| nosotros/as | acabamos |
| vosotros/as | acabasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acabaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo acabé» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acababa |
| tú | acababas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acababa |
| nosotros/as | acabábamos |
| vosotros/as | acababais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acababan |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo acababa» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabaré |
| tú | acabarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabará |
| nosotros/as | acabaremos |
| vosotros/as | acabaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acabarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For acabar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo acabaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabaría |
| tú | acabarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabaría |
| nosotros/as | acabaríamos |
| vosotros/as | acabaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acabarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo acabaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he acabado |
| tú | has acabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha acabado |
| nosotros/as | hemos acabado |
| vosotros/as | habéis acabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han acabado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he acabado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había acabado |
| tú | habías acabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había acabado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos acabado |
| vosotros/as | habíais acabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían acabado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había acabado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré acabado |
| tú | habrás acabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá acabado |
| nosotros/as | habremos acabado |
| vosotros/as | habréis acabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán acabado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré acabado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría acabado |
| tú | habrías acabado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría acabado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos acabado |
| vosotros/as | habríais acabado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían acabado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría acabado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabe |
| tú | acabes |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabe |
| nosotros/as | acabemos |
| vosotros/as | acabéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acaben |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él acabe». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acabara |
| tú | acabaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabara |
| nosotros/as | acabáramos |
| vosotros/as | acabarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acabaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él acabara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acaba |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabe |
| nosotros/as | acabemos |
| vosotros/as | acabad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acaben |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Acaba!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acabes |
| él/ella/Ud. | acabe |
| nosotros/as | acabemos |
| vosotros/as | acabéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acaben |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No acabes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo acabo el trabajo todos los días. — I finish the work every day.
- Mi hermana acaba el trabajo mucho. — My sister finishes the work a lot.
- Ayer yo acabé el trabajo por la tarde. — Yesterday I finished the work in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo acababa el trabajo muchas veces. — As a child, I used to finish the work often.
- Mañana yo acabaré el trabajo sin falta. — Tomorrow I will finish the work without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo acabaría el trabajo ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would finish the work right now.
- Hoy yo he acabado de comer dos veces. — Today I have finished eating twice.
- Espero que él acabe el trabajo pronto. — I hope he finishes the work soon.
- ¡Acaba el trabajo antes de cenar! — Finish the work before dinner!
- Ahora mismo estoy acabando el trabajo. — Right now I am finishing the work.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: acabe
Right: acabé
The yo preterite of acabar carries a written accent: acabé. Without it, acabe is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo acababa el trabajo.
Right: Ayer yo acabé el trabajo.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, acabé. The imperfect acababa describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Termino de comer hace un momento.
Right: Acabo de comer hace un momento.
To say you have just done something, only acabar works: acabo de comer. Terminar cannot be used in this idiom.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú acabas el trabajo.
Right: Espero que tú acabes el trabajo.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: acabes, not the indicative acabas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No acaba el trabajo.
Right: No acabes el trabajo.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no acabes. The affirmative acaba can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of acabar in the present tense?
- (a) acaba
- (b) acabamos
- (c) acabas
- (d) acabo
2. What is the él/ella form of acabar in the preterite?
- (a) acabamos
- (b) acabaste
- (c) acabé
- (d) acabó
3. What is the nosotros form of acabar in the imperfect?
- (a) acababa
- (b) acababas
- (c) acabábamos
4. What is the tú form of acabar in the future tense?
- (a) acabaremos
- (b) acabará
- (c) acabarás
- (d) acabaré
5. What is the ellos form of acabar in the conditional?
- (a) acabaría
- (b) acabarían
- (c) acabarías
6. What is the yo form of acabar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha acabado
- (b) has acabado
- (c) he acabado
- (d) hemos acabado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of acabar?
- (a) acabe
- (b) acabemos
- (c) acabes
8. What is the nosotros form of acabar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) acabara
- (b) acabáramos
- (c) acabaras
9. What is the gerund of acabar?
- (a) acabado
- (b) acabando
- (c) acabar
- (d) acabo
10. What is the past participle of acabar?
- (a) acabado
- (b) acabando
- (c) acabar
- (d) acabé
Answer key
1. (d) acabo — In the present, the yo form of acabar is acabo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) acabó — In the preterite, the el form of acabar is acabó. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) acabábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of acabar is acabábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) acabarás — In the future, the tu form of acabar is acabarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) acabarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of acabar is acabarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he acabado — In the present perfect, the yo form of acabar is he acabado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) acabes — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of acabar is acabes. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) acabáramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of acabar is acabáramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) acabando — The gerund of acabar is acabando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy acabando».
10. (a) acabado — The past participle of acabar is acabado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he acabado».
Frequently asked questions
Is acabar regular or irregular?
Yes, acabar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of acabar?
The gerund is acabando and the past participle is acabado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy acabando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he acabado»).
What is the difference between acabar and terminar?
Acabar and terminar are often confused. Terminar is the plain verb for finishing; acabar adds the idea of ending up, and owns the acabar de idiom.
How do I say «I finish» in Spanish?
Say «Yo acabo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with acabar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (acabé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (acababa) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: acabar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: acabar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: terminar
- Related verb: comenzar
- Related verb: continuar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz