Breakdown of Terminan de pintar la pared blanca.
de
from / of
blanco
white
terminar
to finish / to end
pintar
to paint
la pared
the wall
Questions & Answers about Terminan de pintar la pared blanca.
Why is it terminar de pintar instead of using the -ing form for "painting"?
In English, we say "finish painting" using an -ing word. However, in Spanish, the phrase for finishing an action is terminar de followed by the infinitive form of the verb, which is pintar here.
Could I use dejan de instead of terminan de in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Terminan de pintar means they successfully complete the task of painting. If you said dejan de pintar, it means they stop or quit painting, even if the wall is only half-finished.
Why is it la pared blanca if pared doesn't end in -a?
Why does blanca come after pared?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives like colors usually come right after the noun they describe. So, "the white wall" becomes la pared blanca.
Learn Terminan de pintar la pared blanca and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free