Introduction
Terminar means “to finish, to end”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Terminar is the verb you reach for when a task, a report or a working day comes to an end. It covers the moment the work is done, not the process of doing it, so it pairs naturally with words such as el informe, la tarea and el proyecto. Terminar also describes the end of something scheduled: a class, a film, a match or a concert. When the event itself ends, Spanish uses terminar rather than a verb of stopping, because the ending is part of the event. This page shows terminar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo termino el informe antes de las cinco.” — I finish the report before five o'clock.
Terminar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how terminar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use terminar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo termino el informe antes de las cinco.” — I finish the report before five o'clock.
“¿Tú terminas la tarea antes de cenar?” — Do you finish your homework before dinner?
“La película termina a las diez de la noche.” — The film ends at ten at night.
“Nosotros terminamos la reunión a las tres.” — We finish the meeting at three.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show terminar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo terminé el libro a medianoche.” — Yesterday I finished the book at midnight. (preterite)
“El curso terminaba siempre en junio cuando yo era estudiante.” — The course always used to end in June when I was a student. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of terminar stays the same.
“Nosotros terminaremos el curso en diciembre.” — We will finish the course in December. (future)
“¿Tú has terminado ya la tarea?” — Have you finished your homework yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros termináis el proyecto esta semana.” — You finish the project this week.
“Ellos terminan las clases en junio.” — They finish classes in June.
“Yo termino de leer el libro esta noche.” — I finish reading the book tonight.
“El partido termina con un empate a dos.” — The match ends in a two-all draw.
Terminar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how terminar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Ana: “¿Tú terminas la tarea antes de cenar?” — Do you finish your homework before dinner?
Luis: “Sí, yo termino la tarea a las siete.” — Yes, I finish my homework at seven.
Ana: “¿Y la clase de inglés? ¿Cuándo termina?” — And the English class? When does it end?
Luis: “La clase termina a las ocho y media.” — The class ends at half past eight.
Ana: “Nosotros terminamos de cenar a las nueve, ¿verdad?” — We finish eating dinner at nine, right?
Luis: “Sí, y después yo termino de leer el libro.” — Yes, and afterwards I finish reading the book.
A short paragraph
María works in an office in Madrid. Ella termina el informe todos los días antes de las cinco, y sus compañeros terminan la reunión semanal a las tres. Los viernes, la clase que enseña termina a las ocho, y los estudiantes terminan la tarea antes de cenar. Cuando la película termina a las diez, María termina de leer su libro y se acuesta. Terminar follows her through the whole day, from the first report to the last page, because so much of daily life is about bringing things to an end.
Common mistakes with terminar
These are the errors learners actually make with terminar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo termino el informe ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo terminé el informe.” Why: The present tense cannot describe an action that was finished yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to terminé as well as the time word.
Wrong: “Yo termino leer el libro.” Right: “Yo termino de leer el libro.” Why: Terminar needs the preposition de before an infinitive. Without de the sentence is incomplete in Spanish, even though English 'I finish reading' needs no preposition at all.
Wrong: “Nosotros termina el proyecto.” Right: “Nosotros terminamos el proyecto.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Nosotros needs terminamos, not the él form termina. This slip is common because termina is the form learners hear most often.
Wrong: “La clase terminan a las ocho.” Right: “La clase termina a las ocho.” Why: La clase is singular, so it needs the él form termina. Terminan belongs with a plural subject such as las clases, and using it with la clase breaks agreement.
Wrong: “Ellos termino todos los días.” Right: “Ellos terminan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form terminan, not the yo form termino. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: terminar in use
Ten questions on terminar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el proyecto esta semana.” (You finish the project this week.)
- (a) terminas
- (b) termináis
- (c) termino
Answer: termináis — The vosotros/as form of terminar in the present tense is termináis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las clases en junio.” (They finish classes in June.)
- (a) terminan
- (b) termino
- (c) terminas
Answer: terminan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of terminar in the present tense is terminan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ el libro a medianoche.” (Yesterday I finished the book at midnight.)
- (a) terminaste
- (b) terminó
- (c) terminé
Answer: terminé — In the preterite, the yo form of terminar is terminé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “El curso ______ siempre en junio cuando yo era estudiante.” (The course always used to end in June when I was a student.)
- (a) terminabas
- (b) terminaba
- (c) terminaba
Answer: terminaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of terminar is terminaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ el curso en diciembre.” (We will finish the course in December.)
- (a) terminaremos
- (b) terminaré
- (c) terminarás
Answer: terminaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of terminar is terminaremos.
6. What does terminar mean in English?
- (a) to serve
- (b) to need
- (c) to finish, to end
Answer: to finish, to end — Terminar means “to finish, to end”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Ayer yo terminé el informe.
- (b) Yo termino el informe ayer.
- (c) Yo termino leer el libro.
Answer: Ayer yo terminé el informe. — “Ayer yo terminé el informe.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I finish reading the book tonight.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo terminan de leer el libro esta noche.
- (b) Yo termino de leer el libro esta noche.
- (c) El partido termina con un empate a dos.
Answer: Yo termino de leer el libro esta noche. — “Yo termino de leer el libro esta noche.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of terminar in the present tense?
- (a) termino
- (b) terminas
- (c) terminamos
Answer: terminamos — The nosotros form is terminamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo terminé el libro a medianoche.
- (b) Nosotros terminaremos el curso en diciembre.
- (c) Yo termino el informe antes de las cinco.
Answer: Yo termino el informe antes de las cinco. — “Yo termino el informe antes de las cinco.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I just finished eating' in Spanish?
The natural way is 'Acabo de comer', using acabar de + infinitive. You can also say 'Terminé de comer', using the preterite of terminar, which states the same fact more directly. Both are correct, but acabar de is the idiomatic choice for something that has just happened.
Does terminar need a preposition before an infinitive?
Yes, it needs de: terminar de + infinitive. Say 'Termino de leer el libro', not 'Termino leer el libro'. The preposition is part of the structure, so learn the verb and the preposition together as one chunk: terminar de.
What is the past participle of terminar?
The past participle is terminado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses: 'He terminado el informe' means 'I have finished the report', and 'Había terminado' means 'I had finished'. The participle never changes for person, only the auxiliary haber does.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of terminar — every tense of terminar in one place.
- Terminar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on terminar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of terminar until they are automatic.