Acabar de in Portuguese: How to Say You Just Did Something — Practice

Put acabar in the right form, then add de and an infinitive

Acabar de + infinitive is a common way to say that an action happened a short time ago. Conjugate acabar for the person, keep de, and leave the next verb in its infinitive form: acabei de chegar (I just arrived).

In everyday Brazilian speech, you may hear acabo de to mean “I’ve just…” or “I just…,” depending on the setting and timing. The surrounding conversation helps establish how recent the action is.

Know who did the action

The verb acabar changes with the subject, while the following action stays in the infinitive. Say acabei de ver, você acabou de ver, or nós acabamos de ver. A question can use the same structure: Você acabou de falar com ela? (Did you just speak with her?).

Compare it with terminar de

Terminar de + infinitive means to finish doing something: Terminei de ler o livro (I finished reading the book). Acabar de + infinitive usually means to have just done it: Acabei de ler o livro (I just finished reading the book). The ideas can overlap when a recently finished action is being discussed, but the emphasis differs.

• Acabei de cozinhar: I just cooked / I have just finished cooking.
• Terminei de cozinhar: I finished cooking.
• In both patterns, the second verb stays in the infinitive.

Remember: Say one thing you just did with acabei de, then name an activity you finished with terminei de. Notice how the time focus changes.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I just got home.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Acabei de chegar em casa.

2. She just called.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela acabou de ligar.

3. We just had lunch.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente acabou de almoçar.

4. Did you just leave?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você acabou de sair?

5. We just received the message.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Nós acabamos de receber a mensagem.

6. They just started the meeting.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eles acabaram de começar a reunião.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Say one thing you just did with acabei de, then name an activity you finished with terminei de. Notice how the time focus changes.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Acabar de in Portuguese: How to Say You Just Did Something lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.