Portuguese · Everyday Verbs
"to finish" in Portuguese: terminar
terminar
Note: also: acabar
To finish in Portuguese is terminar. Everyday forms: eu termino, você termina; acabar is a common synonym.
Homework
Eu termino a lição depois do jantar.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce terminar
Say it
tehr-mee-NAHR / tehr-MEE-noo / tehr-MEE-nah
/teʁ.mi.ˈnaʁ/
tehr-mee-NAHR. Eu termino is tehr-MEE-noo; termina is tehr-MEE-nah.
"to finish" in Portuguese: quick reference
| Portuguese | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| terminar | to finish Dictionary form. | Dictionary form. |
| eu termino | I finish First person. | First person. |
| você termina | you finish Questions. | Questions. |
| já terminei | I already finished Past. | Past. |
| acabar | to finish / run out Common synonym — pair with terminar in learning notes. | Common synonym — pair with terminar in learning notes. |
How to use terminar in real life
- 1Homework
Eu termino a lição depois do jantar.
I finish the homework after dinner.
Eu termino.
- 2Meeting
A reunião termina às quatro.
The meeting finishes at four.
Termina.
- 3Race
Eles terminam a corrida juntos.
They finish the race together.
Terminam.
Mistakes English speakers make with terminar
Incorrect: Eu terminar agora.
Correct: Eu termino agora.
Conjugate: eu termino.
Incorrect: Já acabei a prova. (when checker needs terminar)
Correct: Já terminei a prova.
Acabar is fine in speech, but for this headword use terminar / termino / termina.
Good to know
Terminar and acabar overlap a lot in Brazil. Terminar feels clear for ending events and tasks; acabar also means to run out (acabou o leite). Learn terminar first for finish.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Wrapping up a shared project
ChatPal
Você termina o slide agora?
Will you finish the slide now?
You
Termino em dez minutos.
I’ll finish in ten minutes.
ChatPal
Eu termino as legendas enquanto isso.
I’ll finish the captions meanwhile.
You
Perfeito. Depois enviamos juntos.
Perfect. Then we send together.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to finish" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to finish" in Portuguese
I finish?
Eu termino.
It finishes?
Termina.
Is acabar okay?
Yes in real speech; still practice terminar for this word.
I finished?
Eu terminei / já terminei.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
