Breakdown of El niño finalmente deja de llorar y termino de leer este libro.
de
from / of
y
and
el niño
the boy
leer
to read
el libro
the book
terminar
to finish / to end
llorar
to cry
este
this
finalmente
finally
dejar
to stop / to leave (something behind)
Questions & Answers about El niño finalmente deja de llorar y termino de leer este libro.
Why does it use the infinitive llorar instead of an -ing form like in English?
In Spanish, expressions like dejar de (to stop doing something) and terminar de (to finish doing something) must always be followed by the infinitive form of the verb, like llorar or leer. You cannot use the -ando or -iendo forms here, even though we say crying or reading in English.
Why is there a de between termino and leer?
The verb terminar requires the preposition de when it connects to another action to mean to finish doing something. Together, terminar de leer means to finish reading. If you leave out de, the sentence sounds broken to a Spanish speaker.
Could I say para de llorar instead of deja de llorar?
You could, as parar de also means to stop doing an action. However, dejar de is the most common and natural way to express this idea in Latin American Spanish. Both phrases work the exact same way and require the preposition de before the infinitive verb.
How do we know the second part of the sentence means I finish reading, rather than the boy?
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