Word
Acabei de modelar a bilha.
Meaning
I have just modeled the jug.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Breakdown of Acabei de modelar a bilha.
acabar de
to have just
o
the
a bilha
an earthenware water jug
modelar
to shape a soft material by hand
Questions & Answers about Acabei de modelar a bilha.
What does acabei de mean in this sentence?
Acabei de + infinitive is a very common Portuguese structure meaning have just done something or just did something.
So:
- acabei de modelar = I have just modelled / shaped
Even though acabei by itself means I finished, the full pattern acabar de + infinitive usually expresses that something happened very recently.
Examples:
- Acabei de comer. = I’ve just eaten.
- Acabei de chegar. = I’ve just arrived.
Why is it acabei and not acabo?
Because acabei is the 1st person singular preterite form of acabar:
- eu acabei = I finished
In the expression acabei de + infinitive, Portuguese uses this past form to say I have just...
So:
- Acabo de modelar a bilha would normally not sound right for the meaning I’ve just modelled the jug
- Acabei de modelar a bilha is the normal form
This is one of those structures where Portuguese works differently from English. English often uses have just + past participle, but Portuguese uses preterite of acabar + de + infinitive.