01 · The core pattern
Acabo de llegar a casa.
I just got home.
Acabar de + infinitive is the whole trick — only acabar conjugates, the second verb never changes.
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Just Did It
Say what you just did and what you're about to do — out loud, in real conversation.
Acabar de + infinitive is how you say something just happened: acabo de llegar a casa — I just got home. You conjugate acabar and leave the second verb in the infinitive; it never changes (acabo de llegar, not acabo de llegué). The same trick powers three more: ir a + infinitive for what you're about to do (voy a estudiar), empezar a for starting (empecé a correr), and volver a for doing it again (volví a llamar) — each keeps its own preposition.
Below: the exact phrases these patterns build, the slip-ups that give beginners away, and a way to say them out loud in a real exchange — no drills, no fill-in-the-blanks.
The warm-up pack
The timing words — just did it, about to, starting to, doing it again — said the way a conversation actually needs them.
01 · The core pattern
Acabo de llegar a casa.
I just got home.
Acabar de + infinitive is the whole trick — only acabar conjugates, the second verb never changes.
02 · Someone else, moments ago
María acaba de llamar.
María just called.
Same pattern, third person — acaba, not acabó. It's how you'd explain a call you just took.
03 · What's about to happen
Voy a estudiar esta noche.
I'm going to study tonight.
Ir a + infinitive covers the near future — this is the other half of the timeline, right after acabar de.
04 · The warning
¡Cuidado! Se va a caer.
Careful! It's about to fall.
Same ir a, but urgent — this is the sentence you actually shout, not one you'd plan out.
05 · When it began
Empecé a estudiar español el año pasado.
I started studying Spanish last year.
Empezar a marks the start of something ongoing — fittingly, it's also how you'd describe starting this exact skill.
06 · When it stopped
Dejé de fumar hace dos años.
I stopped smoking two years ago.
Dejar de is empezar a's opposite number — same shape, opposite direction, and just as useful in real conversation.
07 · Doing it again
Volvió a llamar tres veces.
He called again three times.
Volver a + infinitive means again — no need for otra vez when the verb already carries it.
08 · The firm line
¡No lo vuelvas a hacer!
Don't do it again!
Same volver a, now a command. Short, direct, and exactly how it's said in real life.
09 · Asking for a repeat
¿Puedes volver a explicar?
Can you explain again?
This is the practical, polite version — the phrase you actually need when you missed something the first time.
10 · Two timings in one breath
Acabo de llegar y ya voy a salir.
I just arrived and I'm already going to leave.
Acabar de and ir a stacked together — once each one is automatic, combining them like this stops feeling like grammar.
11 · Right on the edge
Estoy a punto de salir.
I'm about to leave.
A cousin of ir a for the very last second before something happens — the natural line to end a call on.
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First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/just-did-itRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
There are no flashcards here and nothing to fill in. In the Just Did It lessons you talk, and Carla keeps handing you moments to use the patterns for real: ¿Qué acabas de hacer? — tell her two things you just did (acabo de comer, acabo de llamar). ¿Cuándo empezaste a aprender español? — answer with empecé a… and a time. Then she asks what you've gone back to doing after a break, and you reach for vuelvo a… — out loud, in the moment, until it stops feeling like grammar.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Just Did It is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Acabar de + infinitive means to have just done something a moment ago. Acabo de llegar = I just arrived; María acaba de llamar = María just called. It saves you from the perfect tenses beginners haven't learned yet.
No. Only acabar conjugates — the second verb always stays in the infinitive. Say acabo de llegar, never acabo de llegué. The same holds for ir a, empezar a and volver a.
Acabar de is only for the very recent past — something that happened minutes or hours ago. For anything further back, use the preterite. Acabo de comer (I just ate) vs comí ayer (I ate yesterday).
Use ir a + infinitive for the near future (voy a salir — I'm going to leave) or estar a punto de for something on the very edge of happening (estoy a punto de salir — I'm about to leave).
It means to do something again. Volvió a llamar = he called again; ¿puedes volver a explicar? = can you explain again? In the negative it's a firm 'don't do it again': no lo vuelvas a hacer.