The Only Guide You Need to Use the Spanish Verb ‘Acabar’

The Spanish verb acabar usually means “to finish” or “to end,” although it can have various other meanings depending on the context. Acabar is a synonym of terminar and completar.

Se acabó is one of the most common conjugations of the Spanish verb acabar, meaning “It’s over.” 

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to use acabar in sentences, as well as the conjugation of acabar in the past, present, and future. Last but not least, you’ll have the chance to test your new knowledge with a mini-quiz!

The Spanish Verb Acabar

The verb acabar in Spanish is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations are relatively simple. It is conjugated with the same pattern as other regular -ar verbs including lavar, tomar, and llevar.

The Reflexive Verb Acabarse 

In addition, acabar can be used as a reflexive or reciprocal verb, acabarse, which has the following meanings:

• to use up
• to run its course
• to die

Here are the conjugations for acabarse in the preterite form. This is how you’ll most often see or hear it used:

• Me acabé
• Te acabaste
• Se acabó
• Nos acabamos
• Se acabaron

Examples 

El concierto de Santana se acabó. – The Santana concert ended.

Los boletos se acabaron hace un mes. – The tickets sold out a month ago.

Él se acabó cuando tenía 88. – He died when he was 88.

El episodio se acabó cuando la pareja se reunió. – The episode ended when the couple reunited.

Acabar de

if you want to convey the idea that someone just did something, use the construction acabar de + infinitive. So, if you wanted to say “I just ate” in Spanish, you would say acabo de comer.

Note that in the English example sentence, the verb is in the past tense. Why is the verb acabar in the present tense, then? It seems like it should be in the preterite (acabé de comer) since I just finished doing it, and it’s therefore in the past. Nevertheless, acabo de comer is the correct translation.

Acabar por + Infinitive

Acabar por + infinitive expresses finally doing something or ending up doing something that perhaps wasn’t initially expected. It refers to the past, so you’ll use the preterite tense here.

Yo acabé por llegar a la oficina. – I finally arrived at the office.

Usted acabó por cantar conmigo. – You finally sang with me.

Nosotros acabamos por ir en mi carro. – We ended up taking my car.

Ellos acabaron por comer comida china en lugar de japonesa. – They ended up eating Chinese food instead of Japanese.

Acabar con (algo)

Acabar con means “to have ended,” “to have ruined,” or “to have destroyed” someone or something.

Ese tiro acabó con el partido. – That shot ended the game.

Tú acabaste con nuestro familia. – You destroyed our family.

La lluvia acabó con nuestra fiesta. – The rain ruined our party.

Now, let’s take a look at the rest of the conjugations of the Spanish verb acabar! 

Acabar Conjugation 

Verbals 

The three verbals in Spanish are the same as in English: infinitive, gerund, and participle. Verbals are non-conjugated forms of verbs and they always need to be paired with another conjugated verb in a sentence. 

Infinitive: acabar

¿Cuando vamos a acabar la cena? – When will we finish dinner?

Gerund: acabando

Yo estoy acabando el año escolar. – I’m finishing the school year.

Participle: acabado

Los boletos se han acabado en menos de un día. – The tickets have sold out in less than a day.

Acabar Conjugation: Indicative Mood

Present Indicative

Preterite Indicative

Imperfect Indicative

Yo acababa el año con éxito. – I was finishing the year with success.

Future Indicative

Acabaré sabiendo más que mi maestro. – I will end up knowing more than my teacher.

Conditional Indicative

Yo acabaría el año con éxito si hubiera estudiado más. – I would finish the year with success if I had studied more.

Acabar Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive is used in sentences with two clauses to express desire, doubt, denial, emotion, negation, possibility, and other subjective situations.

Papá quiere que ella acabe la comida. – Dad wants her to finish her food.

Imperfect Subjunctive

*The acabase form is not commonly used in spoken Spanish, only in written form.

Me hizo feliz que ellos acabaran como campeones. – It made me happy that they finished as champions.

Acabar Conjugation: Imperative

The imperative mood is used to give orders or commands. Note that positive and negative commands have slightly different conjugations. Because you can’t give an order to yourself or to a third person, the imperative mood has fewer subjects to conjugate. 

Positive Commands

Negative Commands

Spanish Verb Acabar:  Exercises

1. Identify the tense and subject of each acabar conjugation.
   
   1. acabaste
   2. acabemos
   3. No acaben
   4. acabo
   5. acabó
   6. acabaras
   7. acabarían
   8. acabamos 
   9. acababas
   10. acabando
       
2. Conjugate acabar in the tense given.
   
   1. Nosotros – present subjunctive
   2. Ellos – future
   3. Yo – present simple
   4. Ustedes – imperfect
   5. Tú – conditional

3. Translate the following sentences to English.
   
   1. Elena nos contó que acababa de comprar una casa nueva. 
   2. ¿Has acabado de escuchar el álbum? 
   3. He insistido tanto que acabó por acompañarme. 
   4. Era tan amable que acabamos siendo amigos. 
   5. Nosotros acabamos de leer el serie de Harry Potter.

Take Your Spanish to the Next Level 

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Se acabó el artículo. Leave a comment using any form(s) of the Spanish verb acabar! 

Want more detail-stuffed Spanish grammar lessons? Check these out:

• Master the Various Uses of ‘Ya’ in Spanish
• Master the Subjunctive in Spanish
• Suceder, Pasar, and Ocurrir: Spanish Verbs Meaning “to Happen”
• A Simple Guide to Spanish Sentence Structure and Order
• Learn to Use Voseo: Vos in Spanish
• How to Write and Pronounce Spanish Accent Marks
• Master the Spanish Alphabet: Letters, Sounds, and Songs for Everyone
• How to Use the Verb ‘Soler’ in Spanish

Answer Key: 

1. Tense and Subject: 1) preterite, tú; 2) positive imperative or present subjunctive, nosotros; 3) negative imperative, ellos/Uds; 4) present indicative, yo; 5) preterite indicative, yo; 6) future indicative or imperfect subjunctive, tú; 7) conditional; ellos/Uds; 8) present indicative, nosotros; 9) imperfect; tú; 10) gerund, any subject
2. Conjugating: 1) acabamos; 2) acabarán; 3) acabo; 4) acababan; 5) acabarías
3. Translation: 1) Elena told us she had just bought a new house; 2) Have you finished listening to the album?; 3) I insisted so much that he ended up coming with me; 4) He was so nice that we ended up being friends; 5) We just finished reading the Harry Potter series.

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Michelle Margaret Fajkus

Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.

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