El opuesto de ¨Acabo de ...¨ ?

Question

Hi all,

OK, I´ve learned how to say I just did something.

Acabo de terminar mi tarea. Acabo de empezar el nuevo semestre. etc etc.

But what about the reverse case? How do I express that I was ¨about to start¨ something.

I am about to do my homework.

or.

I was about to start my homework.

Thanks. Roger

Wow, you guys (and gals) are fast. OK, time for me to start reading it all. - rogspax, Jan 19, 2013

Good question and good answers! "Kudos" a todos! - I know, it's Spanglish! - Jubilado, Jan 20, 2013

Answer 1

I agree with mcl020, saying "estar a punto de" is great.

If you'd like another option you can say "estar para" or "estar por." Estar para is used when you are about to do something, and estar por is used when you feel like doing something.

Estoy para hacer los deberes de inglés. = I'm about to do my English class homework.

Estoy por salir a dar un paseo. = I feel like going for a walk.

I like those too, thanks! Now I just need to try and remember all 3. - rogspax, Jan 19, 2013

What would "soy para caminar" mean, or would that not make any sense? - HackerKing, Jan 19, 2013

you're welcome, rogspax. you'll get it! - unMica, Jan 20, 2013

Hacker, if you say "estoy para caminar" then that means "I'm about to walk." you cannot use the verb "ser" with this kind of sentence. - unMica, Jan 20, 2013

Perfect! - 005faa61, Jan 20, 2013

Answer 2

Hi rog, I'd say:

Estoy a punto de hacer mis tareas.
&
Estaba a punto de empezar en mis tareas.

A punto. I like it. Thanks! I just heard that as part of another phrase 2 days ago. Poner a punto, used in the context of tuning and adjusting a motorcycle´s suspension just right. - rogspax, Jan 19, 2013

Recuerda "a punto de" - avispao, Jan 19, 2013

Thanks! - rogspax, Jan 20, 2013

Answer 3

I agree with mcl020 and unMica about "estar a punto de" and estar para/por, another thing to use is "iba a" ...which is the imperfect of "voy a." It makes clear that you "were going to" do something, before something else happened.

The difference between "iba a" and "estaba a punto de" is that "iba a" is less restrictive as far as time (given that "estar a punto de" means generally to be about to which implies the very very near future... now)

Iba a aprender ese idioma = I was going to learn that language

Estaba a punto de aprender ese idioma = I was about to learn that language

I'm not a native Spanish speaker, but "iba a aprender" sounds better for some reason when speaking about something that last over a long period of time.

estar por = tener ganas de - avispao, Jan 19, 2013

De nada - avispao, Jan 19, 2013

Thanks for the extra explanation on estar por, and filling in the missing piece (past tense versions) for me. It´s appreciated. Thanks! - rogspax, Jan 19, 2013

Answer 4

Never mind. You already received a good answer as I was typing.

Appreciated all the same Grace. Thanks! - rogspax, Jan 19, 2013