Breakdown of O governo acaba de anunciar a decisão.
o governo
the government
acabar de
to have just (done something)
anunciar
to announce
a decisão
the decision
Questions & Answers about O governo acaba de anunciar a decisão.
How does acaba de anunciar translate to 'has just announced' if it is in the present tense?
The construction acabar de plus an infinitive verb (like anunciar) is a set phrase meaning 'to have just done' something. Even though acaba is conjugated in the present tense, it refers to an action that was completed moments ago.
Doesn't the verb acabar mean 'to finish'?
Yes, on its own, acabar means 'to finish' or 'to end'. However, whenever you see acabar de followed by an infinitive, you should read it as 'just did' whatever that second verb is.
Why is the feminine article a used before decisão?
Nouns that end in -ção or -são (like decisão) are almost always feminine in Portuguese. These words usually translate to English words ending in '-tion' or '-sion'.