terminar and acabar

Question

what's the difference between termin/ar and acabar. do you use them in different situations?

Please fill out your profile so that we may better help you , welcome to the forum Buena suerte . amiga. - ray76, Jun 21, 2014

Answer 1

Acabar is to just have done something.

Acabo de despertarme -- I just woke up

Terminar is to finish

¿Ya terminaste el trabajo? -- Did you finish the job?

Here's on more example using both:

Acabo de terminar el trabajo -- I just finished the job

Good answer - budmcq2, Jun 21, 2014

:) - ian-hill, Jun 21, 2014

This isn't really accurate, though acabar can be used to describe something that was just done, that is only one aspect of the verb. - Kiwaiano, Jun 22, 2014

Please read the edit to my post. I agree with Kiwaiano - chileno, Jun 23, 2014

I wouldn't say my answer is not accurate, but rather there are other uses od acabar that I didn't address. - rodneyp, Jun 25, 2014

Answer 2

Both means to finish.

But acabar also means sort of something recently done or happened.

Edit:

Acabaste con el trabajo? = terminaste con el trabajo?

:) - FELIZ77, Jun 21, 2014

Answer 3

I would find it hard to explain the difference, because basically they mean the same thing, but are used in different contexts and for different things. It would probably take a couple pages to explain all the different ways these two words can be used. A native bilingual might be better to explain it, but here's two that I can think of.

"Ya terminaste?" - Are you finished ...like with a plate of food, or a project you've been working on.

"¿hay más tornillos?" "no, se acabaron" Are there any more screws? No were all out.

Also read the different examples in the definitions right here on spanishdict:

Acabar

Terminar

Answer 4

Es lo mismo:

Termine de hacer la tarea / Acabe de hacer la tarea

No puedes terminar eso ahora, es muy largo / No puedes acabar eso ahora, es muy largo

Ella termino de hacer la cena / Ella acabo de hacer la cena

Answer 5

Looking at this again we need to distinguish between acabar, acabarse and acabar de.

Acabar = To finish

Acabar de = To just have done something

Acabarse (agotarse) = To run out of

Examples of all of the above have been given in this thread, but the subtle differences between the constructions are easy to over look.