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Conjugation Chart of “Acabar” (to finish) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Acabar”

The Imperfect Tense of Acabar is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Yo acababa mi tarea cuando mi hermano llegó. (I was finishing my homework when my brother arrived.)

Acabar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Acabar in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of acabar is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

To finish or complete something: For example, Yo acababa mi tarea cuando sonó el timbre. (I was finishing my homework when the bell rang.)

To end or terminate: For example, La fiesta acababa a las 2 a.m. (The party was ending at 2 a.m.)

To run out or use up: For example, Se nos acababa la gasolina en la carretera. (We were running out of gas on the highway.)

Colloquially, to finish or kill someone (rude): For example, Si no me pagaba, lo acababa. (If he didn’t pay me, I would kill him.)

Real Life Examples of Acabar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo acababa de llegar a la fiesta cuando mi amigo me presentó a su novia. (I had just arrived at the party when my friend introduced me to his girlfriend.)

Ellos acababan de terminar su proyecto cuando el jefe les asignó otra tarea. (They had just finished their project when the boss assigned them another task.)

Nosotros acabábamos de ver una película cuando sonó el timbre. (We had just finished watching a movie when the doorbell rang.)

Ella acababa de comprar un vestido nuevo cuando se dio cuenta de que no le quedaba bien. (She had just bought a new dress when she realized it didn’t fit her well.)

Ustedes acababan de llegar al restaurante cuando se dieron cuenta de que habían olvidado sus billeteras. (You had just arrived at the restaurant when you realized you had forgotten your wallets.)

Él acababa de terminar su turno cuando recibió una llamada urgente. (He had just finished his shift when he received an urgent call.)

Yo acababa de salir de la oficina cuando me di cuenta de que había olvidado mi laptop. (I had just left the office when I realized I had forgotten my laptop.)

Ellos acababan de mudarse a un nuevo apartamento cuando se dieron cuenta de que necesitaban comprar muebles. (They had just moved into a new apartment when they realized they needed to buy furniture.)

Nosotros acabábamos de terminar de cenar cuando sonó el teléfono. (We had just finished dinner when the phone rang.)

Ella acababa de terminar su libro cuando decidió escribir otro. (She had just finished her book when she decided to write another one.)

Ustedes acababan de empezar su viaje cuando se dieron cuenta de que habían olvidado las maletas. (You had just started your trip when you realized you had forgotten your luggage.)

Él acababa de terminar su entrenamiento cuando lo contrataron para un nuevo trabajo. (He had just finished his training when he was hired for a new job.)

Yo acababa de llegar a casa cuando sonó el timbre de la puerta. (I had just arrived home when the doorbell rang.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Acabar (to finish) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.