Acabar Conjugation in Portuguese
acabar means “to finish” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 69 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. It means to finish and to end, and it is completely regular: acabo, acabas, acaba, acabamos, acabais, acabam. Its pretérito perfeito is acabei, acabaste, acabou, and its participle is acabado. It is also used in acabar de plus an infinitive, meaning to have just done something. This page gives you the complete conjugation of acabar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I finish the work.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: acabar
- English: to finish
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: acabando
- Present participle: acabante
- Past participle: acabado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acabar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read acabar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about acabar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle acabado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is acabando, the present participle is acabante and the past participle is acabado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for acabar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabo |
| tu | acabas |
| ele/ela | acaba |
| nós | acabamos |
| vós | acabais |
| eles/elas | acabam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I finish the work”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabei |
| tu | acabaste |
| ele/ela | acabou |
| nós | acabámos |
| vós | acabastes |
| eles/elas | acabaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu acabei o trabalho ontem.” — “I finished the work”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabava |
| tu | acabavas |
| ele/ela | acabava |
| nós | acabávamos |
| vós | acabáveis |
| eles/elas | acabavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu acabava o trabalho antigamente.” — “I used to finish the work”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabara |
| tu | acabaras |
| ele/ela | acabara |
| nós | acabáramos |
| vós | acabáreis |
| eles/elas | acabaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu acabara o trabalho antes do jantar.” — “I had finished the work”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabarei |
| tu | acabarás |
| ele/ela | acabará |
| nós | acabaremos |
| vós | acabareis |
| eles/elas | acabarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu acabarei o trabalho amanhã.” — “I will finish the work”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabaria |
| tu | acabarias |
| ele/ela | acabaria |
| nós | acabaríamos |
| vós | acabaríeis |
| eles/elas | acabariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu acabaria o trabalho um dia.” — “I would finish the work”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho acabado |
| tu | tens acabado |
| ele/ela | tem acabado |
| nós | temos acabado |
| vós | tendes acabado |
| eles/elas | têm acabado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem acabado o trabalho esta semana.” — “He has finished the work”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha acabado |
| tu | tinhas acabado |
| ele/ela | tinha acabado |
| nós | tínhamos acabado |
| vós | tínheis acabado |
| eles/elas | tinham acabado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha acabado o trabalho antes do jantar.” — “I had finished the work”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei acabado |
| tu | terás acabado |
| ele/ela | terá acabado |
| nós | teremos acabado |
| vós | tereis acabado |
| eles/elas | terão acabado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei acabado o trabalho até amanhã.” — “I will have finished the work”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria acabado |
| tu | terias acabado |
| ele/ela | teria acabado |
| nós | teríamos acabado |
| vós | teríeis acabado |
| eles/elas | teriam acabado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria acabado o trabalho ontem.” — “I would have finished the work”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabe |
| tu | acabes |
| ele/ela | acabe |
| nós | acabemos |
| vós | acabeis |
| eles/elas | acabem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu acabe o trabalho.” — “It is important that I finish the work”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabasse |
| tu | acabasses |
| ele/ela | acabasse |
| nós | acabássemos |
| vós | acabásseis |
| eles/elas | acabassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu acabasse o trabalho.” — “It was important that I finish the work”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | acabar |
| tu | acabares |
| ele/ela | acabar |
| nós | acabarmos |
| vós | acabardes |
| eles/elas | acabarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu acabar o trabalho, é bom.” — “If I finish the work, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | acaba |
| ele/ela | acabe |
| nós | acabemos |
| vós | acabai |
| eles/elas | acabem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Acaba o trabalho!” — “Finish the work!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não acabes |
| ele/ela | não acabe |
| nós | não acabemos |
| vós | não acabeis |
| eles/elas | não acabem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não acabes o trabalho.” — “Do not finish the work.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha acabado |
| tu | tenhas acabado |
| ele/ela | tenha acabado |
| nós | tenhamos acabado |
| vós | tenhais acabado |
| eles/elas | tenham acabado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha acabado o trabalho.” — “It is important that I have finished the work”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse acabado |
| tu | tivesses acabado |
| ele/ela | tivesse acabado |
| nós | tivéssemos acabado |
| vós | tivésseis acabado |
| eles/elas | tivessem acabado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse acabado o trabalho.” — “It was important that I had finished the work”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver acabado |
| tu | tiveres acabado |
| ele/ela | tiver acabado |
| nós | tivermos acabado |
| vós | tiverdes acabado |
| eles/elas | tiverem acabado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver acabado o trabalho, é bom.” — “If I have finished the work, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | acabando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Acabando o trabalho, aprendo muito.” — “While finishing the work, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | acabante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle acabante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet acabante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | acabado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho acabado o trabalho esta semana.” — “I have finished the work.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with acabar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I finish the work”
- “Tu acabaste o trabalho ontem.” — “You finished the work”
- “Ele acabava o trabalho antigamente.” — “He used to finish the work”
- “Eu acabarei o trabalho amanhã.” — “I will finish the work”
- “Tu acabarias o trabalho um dia.” — “You would finish the work”
- “Ele tem acabado o trabalho esta semana.” — “He has finished the work”
- “Eu tinha acabado o trabalho antes do jantar.” — “I had finished the work”
- “Tu terás acabado o trabalho até amanhã.” — “You will have finished the work”
- “É importante que eu acabe o trabalho.” — “It is important that I finish the work”
- “Acaba o trabalho!” — “Finish the work!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu acabar o trabalho.”
✓ Right: “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.”
The infinitive acabar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form acabo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu acabas o trabalho.”
✓ Right: “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.”
acabas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with acabo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu acabo o trabalho ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu acabei o trabalho ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito acabei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou acabado o trabalho.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho acabado o trabalho esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of acabar is formed with ter plus the past participle acabado: the eu form is tenho acabado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu acabo o trabalho.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu acabe o trabalho.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use acabe here, not the indicative acabo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho acabando o trabalho.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho acabado o trabalho esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle acabado, not the gerund acabando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on acabar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of acabar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) acabas
- B) acabo
- C) acaba
- D) acabamos
What is the ele/ela form of acabar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) acabei
- B) acabaste
- C) acabou
- D) acabámos
What is the nós form of acabar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) acabava
- B) acabavas
- C) acabáveis
- D) acabávamos
What is the tu form of acabar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) acabarás
- B) acabarei
- C) acabará
- D) acabaremos
What is the eu form of acabar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) acabarias
- B) acabaria
- C) acabaríamos
- D) acabaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of acabar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho acabado
- B) tens acabado
- C) tem acabado
- D) temos acabado
What is the ele/ela form of acabar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) acabes
- B) acabemos
- C) acabeis
- D) acabe
What is the eu form of acabar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) acabasse
- B) acabasses
- C) acabássemos
- D) acabásseis
What is the gerund of acabar?
- A) acabado
- B) acabando
- C) acabar
- D) acabo
What does acabar mean in English?
- A) to ask for
- B) to receive
- C) to finish
- D) to pay
Answer key
- B) acabo — the correct form is acabo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) acabou — the correct form is acabou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) acabávamos — the correct form is acabávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) acabarás — the correct form is acabarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) acabaria — the correct form is acabaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem acabado — the correct form is tem acabado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) acabe — the correct form is acabe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) acabasse — the correct form is acabasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) acabando — the correct form is acabando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to finish — the correct form is to finish. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does acabar mean in English?
acabar means “to finish”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is acabar regular or irregular?
acabar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is acabando and the past participle is acabado.
What are the gerund and past participle of acabar?
The gerund is acabando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is acabado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho acabado.
Which auxiliary does acabar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
acabar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho acabado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle acabado.
How do I say “I finish” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu acabo o trabalho todos os dias.” — “I finish the work” The eu form of the present is acabo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of acabar — every tense of acabar in one place.
- Acabar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Acabar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Comprar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise acabar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise acabar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise acabar with the interactive tool.