Inklingo
← Dictionary
A person standing at the end of a long path, holding a trophy and smiling.

acabé

ah-kah-BEH

verbA2regular ar
I finished?completing a task or activity
Also:I ended up?reaching a final state or location after some time,I just (finished)?referring to a very recent past completion

Quick Reference

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

  • terminé (I finished)
  • concluí (I concluded)

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.

💡 Grammar Points

The Accent Matters

The accent on the 'é' tells you this happened in the past and that 'I' was the one who did it. Without the accent, 'acabe' means something completely different!

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing with 'acabo de'

Mistake: "Using 'acabé de' to mean you just did something right this second."

Correction: Use 'acabo de' for 'I just did [now]'. Use 'acabé de' for 'I finished [in the past]'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Sound like a Native

Spanish speakers often use 'acabé' followed by the word 'por' to explain how they finally made a decision, like 'Acabé por comprar el rojo' (I finally decided to buy the red one).

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

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

present

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

indicative

preterite

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

imperfect

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

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesacaban
yoacabo
túacabas
vosotrosacabáis
nosotrosacabamos
él/ella/ustedacaba
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: acabé

Question 1 of 2

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

📚 More Resources

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.