Finalizar Present Tense in Spanish
finalizar means "to finish" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for finalizar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo finalizo el proyecto en junio. — "Every day, I finish the project in June." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of finalizar: full table
Every person of finalizar in the present tense. The gerund is finalizando and the past participle is finalizado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | finalizo |
| tú | finalizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | finaliza |
| nosotros/as | finalizamos |
| vosotros/as | finalizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | finalizan |
The gerund of finalizar is finalizando and the past participle is finalizado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy finalizando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he finalizado).
How the present tense of finalizar is formed
The present tense of finalizar is built from the stem finaliz- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo finalizo, tú finalizas, él finaliza, nosotros finalizamos, vosotros finalizáis and ellos finalizan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | finalizo |
| tú | -as | finalizas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | finaliza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | finalizamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | finalizáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | finalizan |
Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is finalicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example finalice.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is finalizando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy finalizando. The past participle is finalizado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he finalizado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with finalizar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo finalizo el proyecto en junio. — "Every day, I finish the project in June." The complement in this sentence is about the project in June, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear finalizar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú finalizas la reunión a las seis. — "Now, you finish the meeting at six." The complement in this sentence is about the meeting at six, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear finalizar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él finaliza el libro antes del verano. — "Normally, he/she finishes the book before summer." The complement in this sentence is about the book before summer, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear finalizar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros finalizamos el curso con un examen. — "Tomorrow, we finish the course with an exam." The complement in this sentence is about the course with an exam, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear finalizar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos finalizan el proyecto en junio. — "Always, they finish the project in June." The complement in this sentence is about the project in June, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear finalizar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: finalizar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with finalizar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo finalizo el proyecto en junio. — "Every day, I finish the project in June."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo finalicé el proyecto en junio. — "Yesterday, I finished the project in June."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú finalizas la reunión a las seis. — "Every day, you finish the meeting at six."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú finalizaste la reunión a las seis. — "Yesterday, you finished the meeting at six."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él finaliza el libro antes del verano. — "Every day, he/she finishes the book before summer."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él finalizó el libro antes del verano. — "Yesterday, he/she finished the book before summer."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: finalizar in the present tense
These eight sentences show finalizar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo finalizo el proyecto en junio. — "I finish the project in June."
- Tú finalizas la reunión a las seis. — "you finish the meeting at six."
- Él finaliza el libro antes del verano. — "he/she finishes the book before summer."
- Nosotros finalizamos el curso con un examen. — "we finish the course with an exam."
- Vosotros finalizáis el proyecto en junio. — "you (plural) finish the project in June."
- Ellos finalizan la reunión a las seis. — "they finish the meeting at six."
- Yo finalizo el libro antes del verano. — "I finish the book before summer."
- Tú finalizas el curso con un examen. — "you finish the course with an exam."
Common mistakes with finalizar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros finalizais el proyecto en junio.
- Right: Vosotros finalizáis el proyecto en junio.
- Why: The vosotros form finalizáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me finalizo el proyecto en junio.
- Right: Yo finalizo el proyecto en junio.
- Why: finalizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo finalizo la reunión a las seis.
- Right: Ayer, yo finalicé la reunión a las seis.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo finalicé la reunión a las seis. — "Yesterday, I finished the meeting at six." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo finalizo el libro antes del verano.
- Right: Antes, yo finalizaba el libro antes del verano.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo finalizaba el libro antes del verano. — "In the past, I used to finish the book before summer." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros finaliza el proyecto en junio.
- Right: Nosotros finalizamos el proyecto en junio.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes finalizamos, while finaliza belongs to él and ella. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of finalizar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of finalizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of finalizar in the present tense?
- (a) finalizamos
- (b) finalizo
- (c) finalizas
- (d) finaliza
Answer: (b) finalizo. The yo form is finalizo. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
2. What is the tú form of finalizar in the present tense?
- (a) finalizas
- (b) finalizo
- (c) finaliza
- (d) finalizamos
Answer: (a) finalizas. The tú form is finalizas. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
3. What is the él/ella form of finalizar in the present tense?
- (a) finalizo
- (b) finalizas
- (c) finalizamos
- (d) finaliza
Answer: (d) finaliza. The él/ella form is finaliza. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of finalizar in the present tense?
- (a) finalizas
- (b) finaliza
- (c) finalizamos
- (d) finalizo
Answer: (c) finalizamos. The nosotros form is finalizamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of finalizar in the present tense?
- (a) finaliza
- (b) finalizan
- (c) finalizo
- (d) finalizas
Answer: (b) finalizan. The ellos/ellas form is finalizan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el proyecto en junio.
- (a) finalizo
- (b) finalizas
- (c) finaliza
- (d) finalizamos
Answer: (a) finalizo. The sentence needs the yo form finalizo (Every day, I finish the project in June.)
7. What is the gerund of finalizar?
- (a) finalizando
- (b) finalizado
- (c) finalizo
- (d) finalizar
Answer: (a) finalizando. The gerund is finalizando, used for the progressive: estoy finalizando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Antes, yo finalizaba la reunión a las seis.
- (b) Ayer, yo finalicé la reunión a las seis.
- (c) Mañana, yo finalizaré la reunión a las seis.
- (d) Cada día, yo finalizo la reunión a las seis.
Answer: (d) Cada día, yo finalizo la reunión a las seis.. Cada día, yo finalizo la reunión a las seis. (Every day, I finish the meeting at six.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo finalicé la reunión a las seis. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo finalizaré la reunión a las seis. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of finalizar
Is finalizar regular in the present tense?
Almost. finalizar is a spelling-changing (z → c before e) -ar verb, so its endings are regular, but watch the spelling: Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is finalicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example finalice.
How do you say 'finish' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo finalizo el proyecto en junio. — "Every day, I finish the project in June." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with finalizar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo finalizo la reunión a las seis. — "Every day, I finish the meeting at six." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo finalicé la reunión a las seis. — "Yesterday, I finished the meeting at six." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with finalizar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros finalizamos el curso con un examen. — "Tomorrow, we finish the course with an exam." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.