Acabar vs. Acabar de
differences + exercises
At first glance, these can look like they are the same but not quite.
Acabar de + verb is the same as saying “just verb”.
Example: Nós acabámos de chegar a casa. We just arrived home.
Acabar by itself translates into to finish or to end.
Example: Ela acabou o trabalho. She finished the work.
Let me know if this is clear!
Let’s put it into practice!
1. Complete the sentences with acabar or acabar de + verb.
O filme ________ às 21:00. The movie finished at 9 pm.
Eles ________ sair, ainda os podes ver ao longe. They just left, you can still see them from afar.
Eu ________ o livro ontem à noite. I finished the book last night.
Nós ________ chegar ao restaurante. They just arrived at the restaurant.
A apresentação ________começar . The presentation just started.
2. Translate the following sentences into Portuguese using the correct form of acabar or acabar de.
"I just finished my coffee."
"They finished the project yesterday."
"We just arrived at the airport."
"The concert ended a few minutes ago."
"She just went out."
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Exercise Key
If you haven’t done this exercise yet, don’t scroll further! :p The answers are below.