Acabar de
is an expression that is the equivalent of a present perfect expression
in English:
"to have just [verb
in past participle form]
For example:
| I have just had a coffee. |
| "had" is the past participle |
In Spanish we use the present tense of Acabar:
| Acabo de | I have just |
| Tomar [infinitive] | had [past participle] |
| un café | a coffee |
Let's look at some more examples:
| I have just woken up. | Acabo de despertarme. |
| You have just taken a shower. | Acabas de ducharte. |
| We've just arrived. | Acabamos de llegar. |
Acabar de also has a past perfect sense:
For example:
| I had just eaten an apple. |
| "eaten" is the past participle |
In Spanish we use the Imperfect past tense of Acabar:
| Acababa de | I had just |
| comer [infinitive] | eaten [past participle] |
| una manzana | an apple |
Let's look at some more examples:
| I had just gotten up. | Acababa de levantarme. |
| You had just put on your make-up. | Acababas de maquillarte. |
| We had just arrived. | Acabábamos de llegar. |
| Information
on Past Participles
& the present perfect |
the Past Perfect | Back to verbs! |