Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
Terminar often highlights completing a task. Acabar often highlights that something ended or ran out.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
terminar
to finish or complete
Use terminar for bringing a task, course, relationship, or planned activity to its end.
acabar
to end, run out, or have just done
Use acabar for something coming to an end, being used up, or the construction acabar de.
How to choose
- terminar: Choose terminar if the sentence points to bringing a task, course, relationship, or planned activity to its end.
- acabar: Choose acabar if the sentence points to something coming to an end, being used up, or the construction acabar de.
Examples
Terminei o exercício.
I finished the exercise.
O café acabou.
The coffee ran out.
Common trap
They overlap for many activities, but acabar de plus infinitive means “to have just done,” not simply to finish.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with terminar, then once with acabar. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.