Acabo de comer pan.

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Breakdown of Acabo de comer pan.

• el pan: the bread
• comer: to eat
• acabar de: to have just

Questions & Answers about Acabo de comer pan.

What does the acabar de construction indicate in this sentence?

It signals that the action was completed very recently. In this case, acabo de comer pan means that the speaker has just finished eating bread.

Why is the verb comer in its infinitive form rather than conjugated?

When using the acabar de construction, the main verb (here, comer) is kept in the infinitive form. The conjugated verb (acabo) handles the tense and indicates that the action has just occurred, while the infinitive simply names the completed action.

Why is acabar conjugated in the present tense (acabo) even though it refers to a past action?

This is a unique feature of the acabar de structure. Even though the action (eating bread) is finished, Spanish uses the present tense of acabar to emphasize that it happened moments ago, giving the sentence a sense of immediacy.

Can the structure acabar de + [infinitive] be used with other verbs?

Yes, it’s a very versatile construction. You can use it with any verb to indicate a recently completed action. For example, acabo de llegar means "I just arrived" and acabo de leer means "I just read."

How does acabo de comer pan differ in nuance from the present perfect form he comido pan?

While both forms indicate that an action has been completed, acabo de comer pan emphasizes that the action happened very recently—with a sense of immediacy. In contrast, he comido pan (using the present perfect) refers more generally to a past action that has relevance to the present, without necessarily implying that it occurred just moments ago.