📣Say It Like a Local
How to Say "I Just Did Something"
Acabo de llegar means "I've just arrived." You will hear it every day in Spanish: on the phone, in messages, when someone walks through the door. It is the easiest way to say that something happened a moment ago.
The structure behind it, acabar de + infinitive, works with any verb. And here is the best part: you don't need the perfect tense. Instead of building he llegado, you just use the present tense of acabar and add the infinitive: Acabo de comer, Acabas de ganar, Acaba de salir.
Literal meaning vs. real meaning
Word for word, acabo de llegar is "I finish of arriving."
- acabo = I finish (present tense of acabar)
- de = of / from
- llegar = to arrive (infinitive)
That sounds strange in English, but the idea makes sense: you have just finished arriving. So the real meaning is "I've just arrived." The action is complete, and it happened very recently.
How to use it
Only acabar changes. The second verb always stays in the infinitive.
|
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
|
(yo) acabo de llegar |
I've just arrived |
|
(tú) acabas de llegar |
you've just arrived |
|
(él / ella / usted) acaba de llegar |
he / she has just arrived, you've just arrived |
|
(nosotros) acabamos de llegar |
we've just arrived |
|
(vosotros) acabáis de llegar |
you've just arrived (Spain, plural) |
|
(ellos / ellas / ustedes) acaban de llegar |
they've just arrived, you've just arrived |
Here it is in real-life situations:
|
Spanish |
English |
|---|---|
|
Acabo de llegar a casa. Te llamo luego. |
I've just got home. I'll call you later. |
|
¿Acabas de despertarte? |
Have you just woken up? |
|
No, gracias. Acabamos de comer. |
No, thanks. We've just eaten. |
|
¡Corre! El tren acaba de salir. |
Run! The train has just left. |
|
Mi hermana acaba de tener un bebé. |
My sister has just had a baby. |
|
Acaban de abrir un restaurante peruano en mi barrio. |
They've just opened a Peruvian restaurant in my neighbourhood. |
Going one step back: acababa de
Want to tell a story? Put acabar in the imperfect and it means "had just":
- Acababa de salir de casa cuando empezó a llover. = I had just left home when it started to rain.
- Acabábamos de cenar cuando llegaron mis primos. = We had just had dinner when my cousins arrived.
Same trick, no pluperfect needed.
Similar expressions
|
Expression |
Example |
When to use it |
|---|---|---|
|
acabar de + infinitive |
Acabo de llegar. |
Everywhere; the most common option |
|
recién + past tense |
Recién llegué. |
Very common in Latin America (Peru, Argentina, Chile...) |
|
justo + past tense |
Justo salió. |
Colloquial: "he's just this minute left" |
|
perfect tense + ahora mismo |
He llegado ahora mismo. |
More common in Spain |
All four say more or less the same thing, but acabar de works in every country and every situation. If you only learn one, learn this one.
Common mistakes
- Conjugating both verbs. "Acabo de llegué" is incorrect. Only acabar changes; the second verb stays in the infinitive: Acabo de llegar.
- Forgetting the de. "Acabo llegar" is incorrect. You always need de: Acabo de llegar.
- Confusing it with acabar = to finish. Acabé el libro = I finished the book. Acabo de leer el libro = I've just read the book. Same verb, different meaning.
- Getting lost with pronouns. Both options are correct: Acabo de verlo and Lo acabo de ver (I've just seen it).
Practice
Translate these sentences into Spanish using acabar de + infinitive:
- I've just finished work.
- Have you just arrived? (tú)
- The film has just started.
- We've just bought a house.
Answers: 1. Acabo de terminar el trabajo. 2. ¿Acabas de llegar? 3. La película acaba de empezar. 4. Acabamos de comprar una casa.
And now you can say it too: ¡Acabo de aprender algo nuevo!
Patty 💛
