Fini means “to finish” or “bring to an end.” Its core use is transitive: an agent completes an object or an activity. When the event itself reaches its endpoint, use finiĝi: ni finis la kunvenon means “we ended the meeting,” while la kunveno finiĝis means “the meeting ended.”
Complete regular paradigm
| Form | Function | Typical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| fini | infinitive | to finish something |
| finas | present indicative | finish(es), is finishing |
| finis | past indicative | finished |
| finos | future indicative | will finish |
| finus | conditional | would finish |
| finu | volitive | finish; let ... finish |
The invariant stem fin- combines with the same six verb endings used throughout Esperanto. There is no person or number agreement: mi finas, la teamo finas, ili finas.
Mi finas la raporton nun kaj sendos ĝin antaŭ la tagmanĝo.
I'm finishing the report now and will send it before lunch.
Ni finus la riparon hodiaŭ, se la nova peco jam estus alveninta.
We would finish the repair today if the new part had already arrived.
Finu vian teon; la taksio alvenos post kvin minutoj.
Finish your tea; the taxi will arrive in five minutes.
Completing a noun object
The direct object names the task, product, period, or activity that the subject brings to its endpoint. It takes accusative -n.
La redaktoroj finis la lastan kontrolon de la manuskripto hieraŭ vespere.
The editors finished the final check of the manuscript yesterday evening.
Ĉu vi jam finis tiun libron, kiun mi pruntedonis al vi?
Have you finished that book I lent you yet?
With consumable things such as a drink or book, fini usually means finish consuming or using them, inferred from context. More explicit verbs remain available: finlegi la libron “finish reading the book,” fintrinki la kafon “finish drinking the coffee.” These compounds are transparent, but they are not required when the intended activity is obvious.
Completing an infinitive activity
Fini also takes an infinitive directly. The subject of fini normally performs the infinitive action as well.
Ŝi finis respondi la retmesaĝojn kaj fermis la komputilon.
She finished answering the emails and shut down the computer.
Ni devas fini paki antaŭ ol la luanto venos por la ŝlosiloj.
We need to finish packing before the tenant comes for the keys.
Do not insert de, al, or another preposition merely because English has “finish with” in some contexts. Fini labori means finish working. When English “finish with” means terminate a relationship or arrangement, Esperanto normally names what ends directly: fini kunlaboron, fini kontrakton, or fini intertraktadon.
Post monatoj da disputoj la du kompanioj fine finis sian kunlaboron laŭ la malnova kontrakto.
After months of disputes, the two companies finally ended their cooperation under the old contract.
For ordinary task completion and termination alike, a direct object or infinitive is clearer than automatically translating English “finish with.”
When the event ends: finiĝi
The suffix -iĝ- turns the endpoint into a change undergone by the subject. Finiĝi is intransitive: the event, supply, road, period, or other bounded thing reaches its end.
La filmo finiĝis multe pli malfrue ol ni atendis.
The film ended much later than we expected.
La manĝaĵo preskaŭ finiĝis, sed ankoraŭ venas gastoj.
The food is almost gone, but guests are still arriving.
The second example extends “reach an end” to exhaustion of a supply. Context determines whether English prefers “end,” “run out,” or “be used up.” The grammatical structure remains the same: la manĝaĵo is the subject, not an object.
— Je kioma horo finiĝos la prezento? — Ĉirkaŭ la naŭa kaj duono.
— What time will the presentation end? — Around nine thirty.
Fini versus ĉesi
Fini highlights reaching an endpoint or completing a bounded whole. Ĉesi means stop or cease and does not guarantee completion. If you stopped halfway through writing a report, the accurate description is vi ĉesis verki ĝin, not vi finis verki ĝin.
Mi ĉesis labori je la sesa, sed mi ne finis la projekton.
I stopped working at six, but I didn't finish the project.
La pluvo ĉesis antaŭ tagmezo, kaj la festivalo daŭris laŭplane.
The rain stopped before noon, and the festival continued as planned.
For a naturally bounded event, finiĝi says that its endpoint arrived. Ĉesi focuses on discontinuation and may suggest interruption. This is a semantic contrast, not an absolute ban: an activity can both cease and finish when it stops at its intended endpoint.
Future time after kiam
Esperanto retains future -os when a subordinate event is future relative to now. English normally uses a present form after “when,” which tempts learners to write kiam mi finas for a future promise.
Mi telefonos al vi, kiam mi finos la kunvenon.
I'll call you when I finish the meeting.
The form finos is future because the completion has not yet happened. A present form would describe a present or habitual relationship unless another context forced a different reading.
The general pattern is developed in Tense in Subordinate Clauses.
Participles and passive voice
Since core fini is transitive, it has active and passive participles:
| Relation | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| ongoing/repeated | finanta | finata |
| completion attained | fininta | finita |
| still prospective | finonta | finota |
La finita versio troviĝas en la komuna dosierujo.
The finished version is in the shared folder.
Fininte la ekzamenon, la studentoj atendis silente en la koridoro.
Having finished the exam, the students waited quietly in the corridor.
Finita describes something whose finishing has been completed. An event reaching its own end uses finiĝinta, not passive finita: la ĵus finiĝinta koncerto is “the concert that has just ended.” Passive participles of finiĝi are impossible because -iĝ- verbs are intransitive.
Productive family and register
- fino — end;
- fina — final, relating to the end;
- fine — finally, at last, or at the end, depending on context;
- finfine — finally, after delay or difficulty, often emphatic;
- finaĵo — an ending or final part, including a grammatical ending;
- senfina — endless;
- ĝisfina — continuing to the end.
Post tri prokrastoj la trajno finfine ekveturis.
After three delays, the train finally departed.
Fini, finiĝi, and fino are frequent and neutral in speech and writing. Finfine is also neutral but emotionally more emphatic than plain fine. The root fin- is Fundamental, and the role contrast with -iĝ- follows the standard productive system. In (formal) project language, finita raporto, fina versio, and fina dato are concise; in everyday conversation, the same forms remain natural.
Common Mistakes
Using transitive fini for an event that ends itself
❌ La koncerto finis je la deka.
Incorrect in the ordinary meaning — the concert itself reached its end.
✅ La koncerto finiĝis je la deka.
The concert ended at ten.
Giving finiĝi a direct object
❌ Mi finiĝis la raporton ĉi-matene.
Incorrect — finiĝi is intransitive.
✅ Mi finis la raporton ĉi-matene.
I finished the report this morning.
Treating stopping as successful completion
❌ Mi finis verki la raporton, sed duono de ĝi restas neverkita.
Contradictory — fini verki la raporton says that writing the report was completed.
✅ Mi ĉesis verki la raporton, kvankam duono de ĝi ankoraŭ restas neverkita.
I stopped writing the report even though half of it remains unwritten.
Copying English present tense after future when
❌ Mi sendos la dosieron, kiam mi finas ĝin.
Incorrect for a single future completion.
✅ Mi sendos la dosieron, kiam mi finos ĝin.
I'll send the file when I finish it.
Key Takeaways
- Fini is transitive: an agent completes a noun object or an infinitive activity.
- Finiĝi is intransitive: an event or supply itself reaches its end.
- Ĉesi means stop and does not necessarily imply completion.
- Future completion remains future after kiam: kiam mi finos.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
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