Inklingo

acabé

ah-kah-BEH/akaˈbe/

acabé means I finished in Spanish (completing a task or activity).

I finished

Also: I ended up, I just (finished)
VerbA2regular ar
A person standing at the end of a long path, holding a trophy and smiling.
gerundacabando
past Participleacabado
infinitiveacabar

📝 In Action

Acabé mi proyecto de ciencias anoche.

A2

I finished my science project last night.

Al final, acabé muy cansado después de caminar tanto.

B1

In the end, I ended up very tired after walking so much.

Acabé de leer el libro hace un minuto.

A2

I finished reading the book a minute ago.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • acabé por...I ended up [doing something] / I finally [did something]
  • acabé con...I finished off / I got rid of

Idioms & Expressions

  • ¡Y se acabó!And that's that! / End of story.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesacabaran
yoacabara
acabaras
vosotrosacabarais
nosotrosacabáramos
él/ella/ustedacabara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesacaben
yoacabe
acabes
vosotrosacabéis
nosotrosacabemos
él/ella/ustedacabe

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesacabaron
yoacabé
acabaste
vosotrosacabasteis
nosotrosacabamos
él/ella/ustedacabó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesacababan
yoacababa
acababas
vosotrosacababais
nosotrosacabábamos
él/ella/ustedacababa

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesacaban
yoacabo
acabas
vosotrosacabáis
nosotrosacabamos
él/ella/ustedacaba

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: acabé

Question 1 of 2

How would you say 'I finished the book' in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

From the Spanish phrase 'a cabo', which comes from the Latin 'ad caput', meaning 'to the head' or 'to the end'. It literally means reaching the very tip or end of something.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: acabeiCatalan: acabar

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'acabé' and 'terminé'?

They are almost identical! 'Terminé' is more common for finishing a period of time or a project, while 'acabé' is used very often for reaching the very end or exhaustively completing something. You can usually use them interchangeably.

Does 'acabé' mean 'I just'?

Not exactly. 'Acabo de' (present tense) means 'I just did something now.' 'Acabé' is simply 'I finished' in the past.