Just Did It

How to say 'I just did something' in Spanish (acabar de + infinitive)

Q: What does 'acabar de' mean in Spanish?

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.

Q: What does 'volver a' + infinitive mean?

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.

Say what you just did and what you're about to do — out loud, in real conversation.

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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.

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The phrases that carry the conversation

Acabar de + infinitive (just did something)

Acabo de llegar a casa.I just got home.
¿Acabas de comer? No tienes hambre.Did you just eat? You're not hungry.
María acaba de llamar.María just called.
Acabamos de terminar el proyecto.We just finished the project.

Ir a + infinitive review (about to / going to)

Voy a estudiar esta noche.I'm going to study tonight.
¿Vas a venir a la fiesta?Are you going to come to the party?
Va a llover esta tarde.It's going to rain this afternoon.
Vamos a intentar otra vez.We're going to try again.

Combining periphrases in conversation

Acabo de llegar y ya voy a salir.I just arrived and I'm already going to leave.
Empecé a correr otra vez. Volví a empezar.I started running again. I started over.
Acabo de terminar y voy a empezar otro proyecto.I just finished and I'm going to start another project.
¿Qué acaba de pasar? — Acaban de anunciar los resultados.What just happened? — They just announced the results.

Regional Spanish

What locals actually say

Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.

Méx: 'Apenas acabo de llegar' (apenas = just barely, refuerza)
Arg: 'Recién acabo de salir' (recién = just now)
Caribe: 'Ahorita mismo acabo de comer' (ahorita = right now)
Coloquial: 'Acabito de llegar' (Méx, diminutivo enfático)
Col: 'Acabo de llegar ya mismo' (ya mismo = right away)
Méx: 'Ahorita voy' (ahorita puede ser ya o en un rato)
Arg: 'Voy a ir, dale' (dale = okay/go ahead)
Caribe: 'Va a llover, fíjate' (fíjate = check it out)
Coloquial: 'Voy yendo' (I'm on my way) — gerundio reforzando ir a
Méx: 'Va a estar cabrón' (it's going to be tough, vulgar pero común)

Watch out

Mistakes that mark you as a textbook speaker

Conjugating the infinitive after the periphrasis (acabo de llegó instead of acabo de llegar)Only the first verb conjugates — the second verb always stays in the infinitive. Acabo de LLEGAR, not acabo de llegué.
Using acabar de for distant past (acabo de ir a España el año pasado)Acabar de is only for very recent actions — things that just happened moments or hours ago. For the distant past, use the preterite.
Forgetting the preposition (empezar estudiar instead of empezar a estudiar)Each periprasis requires its specific preposition — acabar DE, empezar A, volver A, ir A. The preposition is not optional.

The part no drill site can do

No flashcards. You learn it by using it

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.

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Quick answers

Questions people ask

What does 'acabar de' mean in Spanish?

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.

Do you conjugate the verb after 'acabar de'?

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.

What's the difference between 'acabar de' and the preterite?

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).

How do you say 'about to' in Spanish?

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).

What does 'volver a' + infinitive mean?

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.