Breakdown of O ministro acaba de explicar a decisão.
explicar
to explain
o ministro
the minister
acabar de
to have just (done something)
a decisão
the decision
Questions & Answers about O ministro acaba de explicar a decisão.
I learned that acabar means 'to finish'. Why does it mean 'has just' here?
When you use acabar de followed by an infinitive verb (like explicar), it changes meaning. It creates a set phrase that means someone 'has just' done that action. This is the most common way to talk about the very recent past in Portuguese.
Why is acaba in the present tense if the English translation uses the past tense ('has just explained')?
To say that an action was completed just a moment ago, Portuguese commonly uses the present tense of acabar (acaba) + de + infinitive. It frames the 'finishing' as happening right now. However, you will also hear people use the past tense for this (acabou de explicar), which means the exact same thing and is equally correct!
Why isn't explicar conjugated to match the minister?
In Portuguese, when two verbs are linked by a preposition (in this case, de), the second verb always stays in its infinitive (dictionary) form. The conjugated first verb (acaba) already does the work of showing who is doing the action.
I notice decisão uses the feminine word for 'the' (a). Are all words ending in -ão feminine?
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