Acabar de, Volver a, and Dejar de: Recent, Repeated, and Stopped Actions

Acabar de, Volver a, and Dejar de: Recent, Repeated, and Stopped Actions

In this lesson, you will use three verb structures to express three different ideas: an action that has just happened, an action that happens again, and an action that stops.

Acabar de + infinitive: something just happened

Conjugate acabar and keep the second verb in the infinitive.

• Acabo de comer. — I have just eaten.
• Acabas de llegar. — You have just arrived.
• Acaba de llamar Ana. — Ana has just called.
• Acabamos de terminar. — We have just finished.
• Acaban de salir. — They have just left.

Present tense of acabar in this structure

Subject	Form
yo	acabo de
tú	acabas de
él / ella / usted	acaba de
nosotros / nosotras	acabamos de
vosotros / vosotras	acabáis de
ellos / ellas / ustedes	acaban de

Keep de after acabar

The structure is acabar de + infinitive.

Acabo de terminar el trabajo. — I have just finished the work.

Do not remove de.

Volver a + infinitive: do something again

• Vuelvo a estudiar español. — I study Spanish again.
• Vuelves a llamar a Ana. — You call Ana again.
• Vuelve a trabajar en el hotel. — He / she works at the hotel again.
• Volvemos a visitar Madrid. — We visit Madrid again.
• Vuelven a empezar. — They start again.

Conjugate volver, not the second verb

The second verb stays in the infinitive.

Volvemos a estudiar. — We study again.

Keep a after volver

The structure is volver a + infinitive.

Vuelvo a llamar. — I call again.

Dejar de + infinitive: stop doing something

• Dejo de trabajar a las cinco. — I stop working at five.
• Dejas de estudiar por la noche. — You stop studying at night.
• Ana deja de trabajar en el hotel. — Ana stops working at the hotel.
• Dejamos de usar este teléfono. — We stop using this phone.
• Dejan de vivir allí. — They stop living there.

Present tense of dejar in this structure

Subject	Form
yo	dejo de
tú	dejas de
él / ella / usted	deja de
nosotros / nosotras	dejamos de
vosotros / vosotras	dejáis de
ellos / ellas / ustedes	dejan de

Keep de after dejar

Dejo de trabajar. — I stop working.

Three different meanings

Structure	Meaning	Example
acabar de + infinitive	the action has just happened	Acabo de comer. — I have just eaten.
volver a + infinitive	the action happens again	Vuelvo a comer aquí. — I eat here again.
dejar de + infinitive	the action stops	Dejo de comer aquí. — I stop eating here.

Recent is not the same as repeated

Compare:

• Acabo de llamar a Ana. — I have just called Ana.
• Vuelvo a llamar a Ana. — I call Ana again.

The first emphasizes recency. The second emphasizes repetition.

Repeated is not the same as stopped

• Vuelvo a trabajar aquí. — I work here again.
• Dejo de trabajar aquí. — I stop working here.

Short conversation

Person A: ¿Has terminado? — Have you finished?

Person B: Sí, acabo de terminar. — Yes, I have just finished.

Person A: ¿Vas a llamar otra vez? — Are you going to call again?

Person B: Sí, vuelvo a llamar ahora. — Yes, I am calling again now.

A practical structure method

1. Use acabar de when the key meaning is “just happened.”
2. Use volver a when the key meaning is “again.”
3. Use dejar de when the key meaning is “stop doing.”
4. Conjugate the first verb for the subject.
5. Keep de after acabar and dejar.
6. Keep a after volver.
7. Keep the second verb in the infinitive.
8. Do not add another compound tense when the structure itself already expresses the intended idea.

From Action Structures to an Experience Interview

You can now distinguish a just-completed action, a repeated action, and a stopped action with the appropriate structure. The next lesson is a speaking task in which you interview someone about their experiences.