Sometimes, when we talk about past actions we say what we have just done, a very recent action.
Learn how to say "to have just done something" in Spanish
In Spanish we use this verbal structure to express "To have just done [something]".
Acabar (conjugated) de + Infinitivo
Have a look and listen to the following examples in different tenses:
Notice how the preposition de always follows acabar. In Spanish, unlike in English, we do not use a participle (-ed form) but rather an infinitive after de.
Acabo de llegar.
Acabo de llegado.
I have just arrived.
Generally with this construction we use either El Presente or El Pretérito Imperfecto as you can see in the examples above.
- For "have just done something" use El Presente
- For "had just done something" use El Pretérito Imperfecto
See also La perífrasis verbal.
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