Introduction
Terminar means «to finish, to end». You use terminar when something comes to an end: a lesson, a film, a working day, a relationship. It is one of the first past-tense verbs learners need, because so much everyday speech is about what you finished and when. 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 terminar 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 termino el informe todos los días.» — I finish the report every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | terminar |
| English | to finish, to end |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | terminando |
| Past participle | terminado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: terminando · Past participle: terminado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | termino |
| tú | terminas |
| él/ella/Ud. | termina |
| nosotros/as | terminamos |
| vosotros/as | termináis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For terminar, the yo form is termino, as in «Yo termino» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | terminé |
| tú | terminaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | terminó |
| nosotros/as | terminamos |
| vosotros/as | terminasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo terminé» 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 | terminaba |
| tú | terminabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | terminaba |
| nosotros/as | terminábamos |
| vosotros/as | terminabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo terminaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | terminaré |
| tú | terminarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | terminará |
| nosotros/as | terminaremos |
| vosotros/as | terminaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For terminar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo terminaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | terminaría |
| tú | terminarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | terminaría |
| nosotros/as | terminaríamos |
| vosotros/as | terminaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo terminaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he terminado |
| tú | has terminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha terminado |
| nosotros/as | hemos terminado |
| vosotros/as | habéis terminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han terminado |
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 terminado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había terminado |
| tú | habías terminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había terminado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos terminado |
| vosotros/as | habíais terminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían terminado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había terminado». 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 terminado |
| tú | habrás terminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá terminado |
| nosotros/as | habremos terminado |
| vosotros/as | habréis terminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán terminado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré terminado» 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 terminado |
| tú | habrías terminado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría terminado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos terminado |
| vosotros/as | habríais terminado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían terminado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría terminado 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 | termine |
| tú | termines |
| él/ella/Ud. | termine |
| nosotros/as | terminemos |
| vosotros/as | terminéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminen |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él termine». 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 | terminara |
| tú | terminaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | terminara |
| nosotros/as | termináramos |
| vosotros/as | terminarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él terminara, 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 | termina |
| él/ella/Ud. | termine |
| nosotros/as | terminemos |
| vosotros/as | terminad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Termina!». 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 | termines |
| él/ella/Ud. | termine |
| nosotros/as | terminemos |
| vosotros/as | terminéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | terminen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No termines!». 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 termino el informe todos los días. — I finish the report every day.
- Mi hermana termina el informe mucho. — My sister finishes the report a lot.
- Ayer yo terminé el informe por la tarde. — Yesterday I finished the report in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo terminaba el informe muchas veces. — As a child, I used to finish the report often.
- Mañana yo terminaré el informe sin falta. — Tomorrow I will finish the report without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo terminaría el informe ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would finish the report right now.
- Hoy yo he terminado la tarea dos veces. — Today I have finished the homework twice.
- Espero que él termine el informe pronto. — I hope he finishes the report soon.
- ¡Termina el informe antes de las cinco! — Finish the report before five!
- Ahora mismo estoy terminando el informe. — Right now I am finishing the report.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: termine
Right: terminé
The yo preterite of terminar carries a written accent: terminé. Without it, termine is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo terminaba el informe.
Right: Ayer yo terminé el informe.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, terminé. The imperfect terminaba 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.
Right: Acabo de comer.
To say you have just eaten, Spanish uses acabar de + infinitive. Terminar cannot replace acabar in this idiom.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú terminas el informe.
Right: Espero que tú termines el informe.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: termines, not the indicative terminas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No termina el informe.
Right: No termines el informe.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no termines. The affirmative termina 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 terminar in the present tense?
- (a) termina
- (b) terminamos
- (c) terminas
- (d) termino
2. What is the él/ella form of terminar in the preterite?
- (a) terminamos
- (b) terminaste
- (c) terminé
- (d) terminó
3. What is the nosotros form of terminar in the imperfect?
- (a) terminaba
- (b) terminabas
- (c) terminábamos
4. What is the tú form of terminar in the future tense?
- (a) terminaremos
- (b) terminará
- (c) terminarás
- (d) terminaré
5. What is the ellos form of terminar in the conditional?
- (a) terminaría
- (b) terminarían
- (c) terminarías
6. What is the yo form of terminar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha terminado
- (b) has terminado
- (c) he terminado
- (d) hemos terminado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of terminar?
- (a) termine
- (b) terminemos
- (c) termines
8. What is the nosotros form of terminar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) terminara
- (b) termináramos
- (c) terminaras
9. What is the gerund of terminar?
- (a) terminado
- (b) terminando
- (c) terminar
- (d) termino
10. What is the past participle of terminar?
- (a) terminado
- (b) terminando
- (c) terminar
- (d) terminé
Answer key
1. (d) termino — In the present, the yo form of terminar is termino. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) terminó — In the preterite, the el form of terminar is terminó. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) terminábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of terminar is terminábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) terminarás — In the future, the tu form of terminar is terminarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) terminarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of terminar is terminarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he terminado — In the present perfect, the yo form of terminar is he terminado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) termines — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of terminar is termines. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) termináramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of terminar is termináramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) terminando — The gerund of terminar is terminando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy terminando».
10. (a) terminado — The past participle of terminar is terminado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he terminado».
Frequently asked questions
Is terminar regular or irregular?
Yes, terminar 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 terminar?
The gerund is terminando and the past participle is terminado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy terminando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he terminado»).
What is the difference between terminar and acabar?
Terminar and acabar are often confused. Acabar de + infinitive means "to have just done something" — only acabar works in that idiom.
How do I say «I finish» in Spanish?
Say «Yo termino». 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 terminar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (terminé) for a single finished event and the imperfect (terminaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: terminar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: terminar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: acabar
- Related verb: comenzar
- Related verb: continuar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz