Breakdown of ¿Cuándo terminas de preparar el presupuesto para el cliente?
para
for / in order to (+ infinitive) / by (a deadline)
de
of
cuándo
when
terminar
to finish / to end up (in a state) / to quite manage (in negatives, + infinitive)
preparar
to prepare
el cliente
the client
el presupuesto
the budget
Questions & Answers about ¿Cuándo terminas de preparar el presupuesto para el cliente?
Why does Spanish use the infinitive preparar instead of the -ing form like in English "finish preparing"?
In English, we say "finish doing" something, but Spanish uses the structure terminar de followed by the infinitive (the unconjugated verb ending in -ar, -er, or -ir). You should never use the Spanish gerund (like preparando) after terminar de.
Do I always have to use de after terminar?
You must use de when you are talking about finishing an action. The rule is always terminar de + infinitive. However, if you are simply finishing a thing (a noun), like "I finish the book", you drop the de and just say termino el libro.
Why is the present tense terminas used if this is asking about something that hasn't happened yet?
Just like in English, Spanish often uses the present tense to ask about the near future or planned events. Asking ¿Cuándo terminas...? is a very natural and common way to say "When are you finishing...?" or "When will you finish...?".
Why use para instead of por in para el cliente?
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