acabar preterite conjugation
Acabar (to finish, end up) in the preterite: acabé, acabaste, acabó, acabamos, acabasteis, acabaron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Acabar is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Acabar in a sentence
- Acabo de llegar a casa.I just arrived home.
- Acabaron peleándose por dinero.They ended up fighting over money.
Regular -ar verb; 'acabar de' + infinitive means 'to have just done something'.
FAQ
What is the preterite of acabar?
Acabar in the Spanish preterite: yo acabé, tú acabaste, él/ella/usted acabó, nosotros acabamos, vosotros acabasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes acabaron.
Is acabar irregular in the preterite?
No. In the preterite acabar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so acabé follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Full acabar conjugation, all tenses →
Drill it with flashcards →