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El director acaba de dimitir por el problema.

El director acaba de dimitir por el problema.
The director has just resigned because of the problem.
From Lesson 113:The recent past (acabar de)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about El director acaba de dimitir por el problema.

Why is the present tense 'acaba' used when the English translation says 'has just resigned' in the past?
The Spanish phrase acabar de followed by an infinitive (like dimitir) is the standard way to say someone 'has just' done something. Even though the resignation is a past action, you use the present tense acaba because the moment of recently finishing it is happening right now in the present.
Why do we use 'por' instead of 'para' in this sentence?
We use por here because it tells us the cause or reason for the resignation (he resigned because of the problem). If you used para, it would imply a goal or purpose, making it sound like he resigned in order to get a problem, which doesn't make sense!
Can I put another word between 'acaba de' and 'dimitir'?
No, verb phrases like acabar de + infinitive must stay glued together. In Spanish, you cannot separate them with adverbs or other words like you sometimes can in English.
Is 'dimitir' a false friend? It looks like 'demote'.
It can definitely be a tricky word! Dimitir strictly means 'to resign' or 'to step down' from a job or position. It does not mean 'to demote' or 'to dismiss' someone else.

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