acabar

Asturian

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. Compare Spanish and Portuguese acabar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /akaˈbaɾ/,
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Hyphenation: a‧ca‧bar

Verb

acabar (first-person singular indicative present acabo, past participle acabáu)

1. to finish, end, finish off
2. to manage, succeed
3. (acabar de facer) To have just done (something)
4. to die, die out

Conjugation

Related terms

• cabu

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. Compare Occitan acabar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

Verb

acabar (first-person singular present acabo, first-person singular preterite acabí, past participle acabat)

1. (transitive) to finish, complete

   Ella ha acabat el batxillerat. ― She finished high school.

2. (transitive, reflexive) to finish, complete

   El nen s'ha acabat el llibre. ― The boy has finished the book.

3. (transitive) to give last touch to something

   Synonym: donar l'última mà

4. (transitive) to use up, to exhaust

   Synonym: exhaurir

   Han acabat els diners. ― They have run out of money.

5. (transitive, reflexive) to use up, to exhaust

   Synonym: exhaurir

   Ella s'ha acabat l'aigua. ― She has run out of water.

6. (intransitive, reflexive) to run out, to be used up

   S'ha acabat l'aigua. ― The water has run out.

   s'ha acabat el bròquil!

   that's enough!

   (literally, “The broccoli has run out”)

   used to end a conversation, a list of objections, etc.

7. (intransitive) to end

   Creia que el món acabaria ― I/he/she thought the world was going to end

   On acaba aquest camí? ― Where does this path end?

   acabar com el rosari de l'aurora

   to end up in fights and in an unfriendly way

   (literally, “to end like the rosary at dawn”)

8. (intransitive, reflexive) to end

   Això no s'acaba mai ― This isn't ending ever

   El camí s'acaba aquí ― The path ends here.

9. to have just done or completed something

   Acaba d'arribar. ― It has just arrived.

10. (in the negative) to fail to do something

    No ho acabo d'entendre. ― I didn't understand that.

11. (transitive) to end up, wind up

    Acabarà penjat. ― He'll end up hanged.

12. (auxiliary followed by a gerund) to get finally to do something or to reach a certain state

    Acabarà tornant ― It will come again.

13. to get finally to do something or to reach a certain state

    Acabarà per no tornar. ― It won't come again.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• “acabar” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “acabar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “acabar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “acabar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese acabar, from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. Compare Spanish and Portuguese acabar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /akaˈbaɾ/
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Hyphenation: a‧ca‧bar

Verb

acabar (first-person singular present acabo, first-person singular preterite acabei, past participle acabado)

1. (intransitive) to finish
2. (transitive) to complete, finish
3. (auxiliary with a verb in the gerund) to end up
4. (auxiliary with de and a verb in the infinitive) to have just (indicates recency)
5. (transitive with con) to destroy completely, to defeat thoroughly; to put an end to

Conjugation

Related terms

• cabo

References

• “acabar” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “acab” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
• “acabar” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “acabar” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “acabar” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• chabar

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. Compare Catalan acabar.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

acabar

1. to finish; to complete

Conjugation

    Lengadocian (Central Occitan)

		simple			compound
infinitive		acabar			aver acabat
gerund		acabant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		acabat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	acabi	acabas	acaba	acabam	acabatz	acaban
	imperfect	acabavi	acabavas	acabava	acabàvem	acabàvetz	acabavan
	preterite	acabèri	acabères	acabèt	acabèrem	acabèretz	acabèron
	future	acabarai	acabaràs	acabarà	acabarem	acabaretz	acabaràn
	conditional	acabariái	acabariás	acabariá	acabariam	acabariatz	acabarián
	conditional 2nd form1	acabèra	acabèras	acabèra	acaberam	acaberatz	acabèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acabe	acabem	acabetz	acaben
	imperfect	acabèssi	acabèsses	acabèsse	acabèssem	acabèssetz	acabèsson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			acaba		acabem	acabatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Auvernhàs

		simple			compound
infinitive		acabar			aver acabat
gerund		acabant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		acabat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acaba	acabam	acabatz	acabon
	imperfect	acabave	acabaves	acabava	acabaviam	acabaviatz	acabavon
	preterite	acabere	acaberes	acabet	acabem	acabetz	acaberon
	future	acabarai	acabaràs	acabará	acabarem	acabaretz	acabarán
	conditional	acabariá	acabariás	acabariá	acabariam	acabariatz	acabarián
	conditional 2nd form1	acabèra	acabèras	acabèra	acaberam	acaberatz	acabèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acabe	acabassiam	acabassiatz	acabon
	imperfect	acabesse	acabesses	acabesse	acabessiam	acabessiatz	acabesson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			acaba		acabassiam	acabatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Gascon

		simple			compound
infinitive		acabar			aver acabat
gerund		acabant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		acabat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	acabi	acabas	acaba	acabam	acabatz	acaban
	imperfect	acabavi	acabavas	acabava	acabàvam	acabàvatz	acabavan
	preterite	acabèi	acabès	acabè	acabèm	acabètz	acabèn
	future	acabarèi	acabaràs	acabarà	acabaram	acabaratz	acabaràn
	conditional	acabarí	acabarés	acabaré	acabarem	acabaretz	acabarén
	conditional 2nd form1	acabèra	acabèras	acabèra	acaberam	acaberatz	acabèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	acabi	acabes	acabe	acabem	acabetz	acaben
	imperfect	acabèssi	acabèsses	acabèsse	acabèssem	acabèssetz	acabèssen
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			acaba		acabem	acabatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Lemosin

		simple			compound
infinitive		acabar			aver acabat
gerund		acabant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		acabat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	acabe	acabas	acaba	acabam	acabatz	acaban
	imperfect	acabava	acabavas	acabava	acabàvam	acabàvatz	acabavan
	preterite	acabei	acaberas	acabet	acabèram	acabèratz	acaberan
	future	acabarai	acabaràs	acabará	acabarem	acabaretz	acabarán
	conditional	acabariá	acabariàs	acabariá	acabariam	acabariatz	acabarián
	conditional 2nd form1	acabèra	acabèras	acabèra	acaberam	acaberatz	acabèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acabe	acabem	acabetz	acaben
	imperfect	acabèsse	acabèsses	acabèsse	acabèssem	acabèssetz	acabèssen
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			acaba		acabem	acabatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

    Provençau

		simple			compound
infinitive		acabar			aver acabat
gerund		acabant			use gerund of aver + past participle
past participle		acabat			—
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ieu	tu	el	nosautres	vosautres	eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acaba	acabam	acabatz	acaban
	imperfect	acabavi	acabavas	acabava	acabàvem	acabàvetz	acabavan
	preterite	acabère	acabères	acabèt	acaberiam	acaberiatz	acabèron
	future	acabarai	acabaràs	acabarà	acabarem	acabaretz	acabaràn
	conditional	acabariáu	acabariás	acabariá	acabariam	acabariatz	acabarián
	conditional 2nd form1	acabèra	acabèras	acabèra	acaberam	acaberatz	acabèran
compound tenses	present perfect	use the present tense of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect tense of aver + past participle
	past anterior	use the preterite tense of aver + past participle
	future perfect	use the future tense of aver + past participle
	conditional perfect	use the conditional tense of aver + past participle
subjunctive		que ieu	que tu	que el	que nosautres	que vosautres	que eles
	present	acabe	acabes	acabe	acabem	acabetz	acaban
	imperfect	acabèsse	acabèsses	acabèsse	acabessiam	acabessiatz	acabèsson
compound tenses	past	use the present subjunctive of aver + past participle
	pluperfect	use the imperfect subjunctive of aver + past participle
imperative		—	tu	—	nosautres	vosautres	—
			acaba		acabem	acabatz	1Now chiefly obsolete, still in use in some Limousin and Vivaro-Alpin dialects

Derived terms

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese acabar, from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. Compare Spanish acabar, French achever and English achieve. By surface analysis, a- +‎ cabo +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Oporto, Portugal)

  (file)

• Audio (USA)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a‧ca‧bar

Verb

acabar (first-person singular present acabo, first-person singular preterite acabei, past participle acabado)

2. (intransitive) to finish (to be over, completed)

   Synonyms: terminar, finalizar

   Antonym: começar

   O filme acabou. ― The film is over.

4. (transitive) to complete; to finish (to make done)

   Synonyms: terminar, completar, finalizar, concluir

   Antonyms: iniciar, começar, inicializar

   Acabe suas tarefas antes de sair. ― Finish your chores before going out.

6. (auxiliary with a verb in the gerund) to end up (to eventually do)

   Synonym: terminar por

   No fim, acabamos comendo naquele restaurante maltrapilho. ― In the end, we ended up eating at that shabby restaurant.

8. (copulative) to end up; to turn out (to become, at the end of a process)

   Synonym: ficar

   De tanto misturarmos, a cor da tinta acabou cinza. ― Because we mixed it so much, the colour of the paint ended up grey.

10. (auxiliary with de and a verb in the infinitive) to have just; just (indicates recency)

    Ele acabou de sair. ― He just left.

12. (transitive with com) to destroy completely, to defeat thoroughly

    Synonyms: destruir, matar

    O inseticida prometeu que acabaria com as baratas. ― The insecticide promised to exterminate cockroaches.

    Nosso time acabou com o deles! ― Our team murdered theirs!

14. (transitive with com) to break up; to put an end to (to make an activity or practice stop)

    Essa lei acabará com a impunidade. ― This law will put an end to impunity.

16. (transitive with com) to break up with (end a relationship)

    Synonym: terminar com

    Ele acabou com ela. ― He broke up with her.

18. (intransitive or takes a reflexive pronoun) to run out (to be entirely used up)

    Synonym: esgotar-se

    Todo o dinheiro acabou. ― All the money ran out.

Conjugation

Descendants

• Kabuverdianu: kaba
• Macanese: cavâ
• → Sranan Tongo: kaba

Further reading

• “acabar” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “acabar” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “acabar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “acabar” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “acabar” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “acabar” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *accapāre. By surface analysis, a- +‎ cabo (“end, conclusion”) +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /akaˈbaɾ/
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: a‧ca‧bar

Verb

acabar (first-person singular present acabo, first-person singular preterite acabé, past participle acabado)

1. (transitive) to finish; to end

   Synonyms: terminar, finalizar, rematar

2. (auxiliary with a verb in the gerund) to end up (eventually doing)

   Acabarás haciendo lo que él diga.

   You'll end up doing what he says.

3. (auxiliary with de and a verb in the infinitive) to have just; just (indicates recency)

   Acabo de dormir ocho horas pero todavía estoy cansada.

   I just slept eight hours but I still feel tired.

4. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to run out of

   Se me acabó la paciencia.

   I've run out of patience.

5. (takes a reflexive pronoun) to come to an end, to be over, to be done, to be finished, to be it, to be no more, to be up

   Lo siento. Su tiempo se acabó, señor.

   I am sorry. Your time is up, sir.

6. (Latin America, vulgar, slang) to orgasm; to cum

   Synonyms: venirse, irse, correrse, eyacular

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading

• “acabar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014