Eu acabei de enviar o relatório.

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Breakdown of Eu acabei de enviar o relatório.

• o relatório: the report
• enviar: to send
• acabar de: to have just

Questions & Answers about Eu acabei de enviar o relatório.

What does the construction acabar de + infinitive express?

It expresses the immediate past, like English “to have just done” something. So Eu acabei de enviar o relatório = “I just sent the report / I’ve just sent the report.”

Why is there a de after acabei? Can I say “acabei enviar”?

The de is mandatory in this idiom: acabar de + infinitive. You cannot say acabei enviar. Without de, acabar means simply “to finish/end,” as in:

• Acabei o relatório. = “I finished the report.” (not “I just sent it”)
• To say “finish doing,” you also use de: Terminei de enviar = “I finished sending.”

Can I say Eu acabo de enviar o relatório instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can. Both are correct:

• Eu acabei de enviar (preterite) is very common in Brazil and sounds the most natural for “just now.”
• Eu acabo de enviar (present) is also correct and widely understood; in Brazil it can sound a bit more formal/bookish or regional, while it’s very common in European Portuguese. Both mean the action happened moments ago.

How is Acabei de enviar o relatório different from Enviei o relatório?