Breakdown of El gobierno acaba de anunciar el plan.
el plan
the plan
el gobierno
the government
acabar
to finish (or to have just + infinitive)
de
linking word before an infinitive (after 'to have just')
Questions & Answers about El gobierno acaba de anunciar el plan.
Why doesn't this sentence use the verb haber to say "has just announced"?
The phrase acabar de followed by an infinitive like anunciar is a set formula in Spanish. It is the standard way to say that someone "has just" done something, so you do not need to use the Spanish equivalent of "to have" here at all.
Why is acaba in the present tense if the action is already in the past?
When using the acabar de structure for a recent past event, Spanish always conjugates acabar in the present tense. You can think of its literal meaning as the government currently finishing the act of announcing the plan.
What happens if I forget the word de in this sentence?
The preposition de is the glue that makes this recent past formula work. If you drop it and just say El gobierno acaba el plan, the verb reverts to its normal meaning of "to finish", making the sentence mean that the government finishes the plan.