Acabei

Acabei is a form of the Portuguese verb acabar, meaning to finish, end, or cease. Specifically, it is the first-person singular form in the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past), used to describe actions completed in the past. As a regular -ar verb, acabar follows a predictable pattern in this tense: eu acabei, tu acabaste, ele acabou, nós acabamos, vós acabastes, eles acabaram.

In normal narrative and everyday speech, acabei conveys that an event or process was finished at a definite past moment. It can appear on its own or with a direct object, as in “Eu acabei o relatório” (I finished the report). The form is also commonly found in the frequent expression acabar de + infinitive, which indicates immediacy or recency, roughly translating to “have just” or “just finished.” Examples include “Eu acabei de chegar” (I have just arrived) and “Acabei de terminar o livro” (I just finished the book). In this construction, the tense of acabar aligns with the surrounding verb to express recent completion.

Usage notes: acabei emphasizes completion rather than progression, and it is versatile across informal conversation and formal writing. Portuguese conjugation varies by region, but the pretérito perfeito simples of acabar is consistent in Brazilian and European varieties, making acabei a common and productive form for recounting past completed actions.

See also: acabar, pretérito perfeito simples, acabar de.