Breakdown of Él nunca termina de organizar las tareas.
él
he / him (after a preposition)
de
of
terminar
to finish / to end up (in a state) / to quite manage (in negatives, + infinitive)
organizar
to organize
nunca
never
la tarea
the task
Questions & Answers about Él nunca termina de organizar las tareas.
Why is there a de between termina and organizar?
This is exactly the focus of the current lesson! To express that you "finish doing" an action, Spanish uses a specific formula: terminar de + [infinitive]. The preposition de is a mandatory linking word here, so you cannot skip it and say termina organizar.
The English translation says "organizing". Why does the Spanish use the infinitive organizar instead of organizando?
In English, it's normal to use the "-ing" form after the verb "finish". However, in Spanish, whenever a verb comes immediately after a preposition—like the de in our terminar de formula—it must always be in the basic infinitive form (organizar).
Since nunca (never) is used here, do we also need to add a no to the sentence?
Does las tareas mean general tasks, or can it mean homework?
It can mean both! Las tareas is a versatile word. Depending on the context, it can translate to general "tasks", household "chores" (often specified as tareas domésticas), or school "homework".
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