Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.

Breakdown of Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.

revisar
to check
acabar de
to have just
el número de la tarjeta
the card number

Questions & Answers about Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.

What does acabamos de + infinitive mean here?

This is a very common Spanish structure meaning have just done or just did something.

So:

  • acabamos de revisar = we have just checked/reviewed

Literally, acabar means to finish, but in the pattern acabar de + infinitive, it usually means to have just done something.

Examples:

  • Acabo de llegar. = I’ve just arrived.
  • Acaban de llamar. = They’ve just called.

In your sentence, Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta means We’ve just checked the card number.

Why is it acabamos, and not acabar or acabado?

Acabamos is the present tense, first person plural form of acabar:

  • yo acabo
  • tú acabas
  • él/ella acaba
  • nosotros/nosotras acabamos
  • vosotros/vosotras acabáis
  • ellos/ellas acaban

Because the sentence means we have just..., Spanish uses acabamos de + infinitive.

So:

  • acabamos = we just / we have just
  • de revisar = to check / checking

You do not use acabado here, because that would be a past participle, and this structure requires a conjugated form of acabar plus de plus an infinitive.

Why is there a de after acabamos?

Because the expression is fixed: acabar de + infinitive.

You cannot normally say:

  • Acabamos revisar ❌

You need:

  • Acabamos de revisar ✅

Think of it as one grammar pattern you learn as a whole:

It signals that the action happened a moment ago.

Why does Spanish use this structure instead of something like hemos revisado?

Both can refer to a recent action, but they are not exactly the same.

  • Acabamos de revisar = we have just checked
  • Hemos revisado = we have checked / we checked

The sentence with acabar de emphasizes that the action happened very recently, almost just now.

So if you want the idea of just, acabar de + infinitive is the natural choice.

In Spain, hemos revisado is also very common for recent past, but it does not automatically mean just.

What does revisar mean here? Is it revise like in British English?

Here revisar means to check, look over, review, inspect.

Depending on context, it can mean:

  • check
  • review
  • go over
  • inspect

In this sentence, the most natural English translation is probably:

  • We’ve just checked the card number.

Be careful: Spanish revisar does not always match English revise exactly. In British English, revise often means study again for an exam, but Spanish revisar is broader and very often means check.

Why is it el número de la tarjeta and not something like la tarjeta número or el número de tarjeta?

Spanish usually expresses this kind of possession or relationship with de:

  • el número de la tarjeta = the number of the card = the card number

This is the normal, natural way to say it.

A few notes:

  • la tarjeta número would not work here for this meaning.
  • el número de tarjeta can exist in some contexts, especially in more general or technical language, meaning something like card number in a non-specific sense.
  • el número de la tarjeta sounds like a specific card’s number, which fits many real situations.

So if you are talking about the number of that card, el número de la tarjeta is the most straightforward option.

Why does Spanish use the in el número de la tarjeta when English might just say card number?

Spanish often uses articles where English does not.

Compare:

  • el número de la tarjeta = literally the number of the card
  • natural English: the card number

Spanish usually prefers a fuller noun phrase with articles:

  • el número
  • la tarjeta

This is very normal. English often turns nouns into modifiers, but Spanish less often does that.

So even if English says card number, Spanish often says:

  • el número de la tarjeta
Is the subject we missing? Why isn’t nosotros included?

Yes, the subject pronoun is omitted, and that is normal in Spanish.

  • Acabamos already tells you the subject is we
  • so nosotros is unnecessary in most cases

You could say:

  • Nosotros acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.

But that sounds more emphatic, as if you are stressing we:

  • We just checked the card number.

In ordinary speech, Spanish usually leaves subject pronouns out unless they are needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Could acabar here mean to finish instead of to have just?

On its own, yes, acabar can mean to finish or to end.

For example:

  • Acabamos el trabajo. = We finished the work.

But in the structure acabar de + infinitive, it normally means to have just done something:

  • Acabamos de revisar... = We’ve just checked...

So the de + infinitive changes the meaning significantly.

Could I also say Acabamos de comprobar el número de la tarjeta?

Yes. That would also be natural.

Both verbs can work:

  • revisar = to check / review / go over
  • comprobar = to check / verify / confirm

The difference is slight:

  • revisar often suggests looking over something
  • comprobar often suggests making sure it is correct

So:

  • Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta = we just looked it over / checked it
  • Acabamos de comprobar el número de la tarjeta = we just verified the number

In many everyday situations, both are possible.

What exactly does tarjeta mean here in Spain—card in general, or specifically a bank card?

Tarjeta can mean different kinds of cards depending on context:

  • bank card
  • credit card
  • debit card
  • ID-type card
  • membership card, etc.

In a sentence about el número de la tarjeta, many people will understand it as something like:

  • card number
  • often a bank card or payment card

But the word itself is broader than just credit card.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could say:

  • tarjeta bancaria = bank card
  • tarjeta de crédito = credit card
  • tarjeta de débito = debit card
How would this sentence be pronounced in Spain?

A rough pronunciation guide is:

ah-kah-BA-mos deh reh-bee-SAR el NOO-meh-roh deh lah tar-HEH-tah

A few Spain-specific notes:

  • In much of Spain, z in número is not present here, but if there were a z or soft c, it would sound like th in think
  • The r in revisar is a tapped r
  • The j sound is not in this sentence, so pronunciation is fairly straightforward
  • de la is usually spoken smoothly together

A more natural rhythm would be: Acabamos de revisar / el número de la tarjeta.

Can I move the words around, or is this order fixed?

The given order is the most neutral and natural:

  • Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.

Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, but not all changes sound equally natural.

For example:

  • El número de la tarjeta lo acabamos de revisar. = The card number, we’ve just checked it.
    This is possible, but it adds emphasis to el número de la tarjeta.

  • De la tarjeta acabamos de revisar el número.
    Grammatically possible in some contexts, but much less natural as a default sentence.

So for a normal, neutral statement, keep:

  • Acabamos de revisar el número de la tarjeta.
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