Ch 34 · Lesson 16Spanish · Chapter 34 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
Acabar de, volver a, dejar de: just, again, stop
(I' just arrived), a (he/she called again), (he/she stopped smoking): a helper, a or , and an infinitive.
The short version
The
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Why?Hide
plus an infinitive is the Spanish for 'have just', and the little is what does the work. Keep it in the present for 'have just' and the imperfect for 'had just', as in . Strip the out and the meaning changes: is 'I finish the work', not 'I have just worked'.
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Why?Hide
a plus an infinitive is the neatest trick in the set: it is Spanish for the English prefix 're-' or the adverb 'again'. a means 'he called again', not 'he returned to call'. Where English builds a dedicated verb, Spanish just says a , a , a .
The periphrases at a glance
The main ones on one screen. The helpers with a or take an infinitive; the others here take a gerund.
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| have just | . | I' just arrived. |
| again | . | He/She called again. |
| stop | . | He/She stopped smoking. |
| start | . | It started to rain. |
| burst into | . | He/She burst out laughing. |
| manage to | . | He went on to be director. |
| how long | . | I' been waiting for two hours. |
| still | . | It's still raining. |
| gradually | . | It's gradually getting better. |
| going about | . | He/She's going around looking for work. |
The little word is part of the phrase: , , . The gerund helpers take nothing: , never .
Acabar de: have just
+ infinitive is the Spanish for "have just". Use the present for "have just" and the imperfect for "had just":
| Tense | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| present | . | I' just arrived. |
| present | . | He/She has just left. |
| imperfect | . | I had just eaten when you rang. |
In other tenses can also mean "finish doing", and only ever means that:
, .- When I finish eating, I'll call you..- I finished reading the book.
Volver a: again
a + infinitive means "again", often where English uses re-:
.- He/She called again..- Read the question again..- I won't do it again.
With a place, is just going back: . - He/She went back home. An object pronoun can go before the helper or on the end of the infinitive, with no change in meaning:
.=.- I won't do it again.
Dejar de: stop
+ infinitive means stop doing something:
.- He/She stopped smoking a year ago..- It has stopped raining..- Make sure you call me.
The negative command is usually a friendly "don't fail to" rather than "don't stop".
Going further: Starting: empezar a, ponerse a, echarse a and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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