Acabar de vs. Acabar Fazendo: ‘Just Did’ or ‘Ended Up Doing’ — Practice

Use acabar de + infinitive for something that just happened

Acabar de + infinitive places an event very recently in the past. Conjugate acabar for the subject, then use de and the base form of the next verb: acabei de sair (I just left).

The phrase can describe a completed action without saying that it was accidental. The surrounding sentence supplies the details about when or why it happened.

Use acabar + gerund for an outcome or final result

Acabar + gerund often means that something ended up happening, sometimes after a different plan or a series of events. It does not mean that the action happened just now.

Listen for the contrast: acabei comprando emphasizes the result of the situation, while acabei de comprar emphasizes how recently the purchase happened.

Remember: After acabar de, use an infinitive for a recent event. With a gerund, acabar often presents the eventual outcome.

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. They just placed the order.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eles acabaram de fazer o pedido.

3. Did you just speak with her?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você acabou de falar com ela?

4. We ended up ordering food at home.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente acabou pedindo comida em casa.

5. He ended up forgetting the umbrella.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele acabou esquecendo o guarda-chuva.

6. I just bought the ticket.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Acabei de comprar o ingresso.

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.

After acabar de, use an infinitive for a recent event. With a gerund, acabar often presents the eventual outcome.

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 vs. Acabar Fazendo: ‘Just Did’ or ‘Ended Up Doing’? 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.