Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 34

CEFR A2-B2

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Test yourself (19 questions)

Spanish Verbal Periphrases: acabar de, llevar and volver a

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

A verbal periphrasis is a helper verb plus an infinitive or a gerund. The tense says when; the periphrasis says how the action unfolds. Only the helper is conjugated:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake in the periphrasis. Tap it.

  • . - I' just arrived.
  • . - I' been waiting for two hours.

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.

+ a or de + infinitive+ gerundWhat do the colours mean?
MeaningSpanishEnglish
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

+ a or de + infinitiveWhat do the colours mean?

+ infinitive is the Spanish for "have just". Use the present for "have just" and the imperfect for "had just":

TenseSpanishEnglish
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 or de + infinitiveWhat do the colours mean?

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

+ a or de + infinitiveWhat do the colours mean?

+ 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".

Starting: empezar a, ponerse a, echarse a

+ a or de + infinitiveWhat do the colours mean?

All three take a + infinitive. They differ in how sudden the start is:

How sudden is the start?
NeutralSudden
  1. Empezó a llorar.started crying
  2. Se puso a llorar.started crying, there and then
  3. Se echó a llorar.burst into tears
HelperSpanishEnglish
a .It started to rain.
a .We started studying at eight.
a .He/She got down to work.
a .He/She burst into tears.
a .He/She burst out laughing.

is a slightly more formal . goes mostly with crying, laughing and running: . - He/She broke into a run.

Llegar a: manage to, go as far as

+ a or de + infinitiveWhat do the colours mean?

a + infinitive is reaching a point: managing something in the end, or going as far as doing it:

  • . - He went on to become director.
  • . - I never got to see the film.
  • . - He/She even said I was lying.

Llevar: how long

+ gerundWhat do the colours mean?

+ time + gerund says how long something has been going on. For something still going on now, is in the present, not the perfect; the imperfect looks back from a point in the past:

UseSpanishEnglish
for .I' been waiting for two hours.
for .We' been living here for a year.
question¿ ?How long have you been learning Spanish?
without .I haven't slept for three days.
had been .I'd been waiting an hour when he/she arrived.

  • llamó: the first call

  • volvió a llamar: called again

  • lleva dos horas sin llamar: no call for two hours

Timeline from past to now, with now marked.

With a place, needs no gerund: Madrid. - I' been in Madrid for a year. The same idea with : . (see hace and desde).

Seguir and ir: still and gradually

+ gerundWhat do the colours mean?

+ gerund means still doing it, not stopped. + gerund means it is happening gradually:

HelperSpanishEnglish
.It's still raining.
¿ Madrid?Do you still live in Madrid?
.It's still raining. (more )
.It's gradually getting better.
.Things are slowly changing.
.He/She's going around looking for work.

+ infinitive is "still not": . - He/She still hasn't called. says it has not stopped; measures for how long.

Mistakes English speakers make

+ a or de + infinitive+ gerundWhat do the colours mean?
WrongRightWhy
. .starting takes a
. .have just needs
. .finishing takes
a . .a or + infinitive
a . . takes a gerund

The other trap is the tense with . English says "have been waiting"; Spanish keeps in the present:

  • . - I' been waiting for two hours. Not "he ".

What to do next

  1. Learn each helper with its little word: , , + gerund.
  2. Do the story drill below.
  3. For having to do something ( , ), see obligation and necessity.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/7

Which form follows each helper: an infinitive or a gerund?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the helper verb for each gap.

Waiting for Marta

dos horas esperando a Marta en la estación. Me llamó a las cinco y a llamar a las seis, pero ahora no contesta. lloviendo y hace frío. De repente, el tren llega y Marta baja. ¡Por fin! de llegar y ya me pide perdón.

Gap 1 of 4

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake in the periphrasis. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the helper that matches the English.

  1. de llegar. (I've just arrived)

  2. Se a reír. (she burst out laughing)

  3. tres días sin dormir. (I haven't slept for three days)

  4. El enfermo va . (is gradually getting better)

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Frequently asked questions

What does plus infinitive mean in Spanish?
Have just: (I' just arrived), (he/she has just left). Use the present for 'have just' and the imperfect for 'had just': (I had just eaten). In other tenses can also mean finish doing: , (when I finish eating, I'll call you).
How do you say 'I have been doing something for two hours' in Spanish?
plus the time plus a gerund, with in the present: (I' been waiting for two hours), (we' been living here for a year). For how long you have not done something, use sin plus an infinitive: (I haven't slept for three days).
What is the difference between and a?
plus a gerund means the action has not stopped: (it's still raining). a plus an infinitive means it stopped and happened again: a (he/she called again). takes a gerund; a takes an infinitive.
Which periphrases take a preposition?
The ones built with a or , and those always take an infinitive: a, a, a, a and a; , and . The gerund group takes no preposition at all: , , and go straight to the -ando or -iendo form.
What is the difference between a, a and a?
All three mean start. a (and a) is : a (it started to rain). a is getting down to something, often all of a sudden: a (he/she got down to work). a is a sudden burst, mostly with , and : a (he/she burst out laughing).