Verb phrases: acabar de, volver a, dejar de…
Spanish uses verb + (preposition) + infinitive or gerund to express nuances of time and aspect that English often expresses with adverbs.
| phrase | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| acabar de + inf. | have just done | Acabo de llegar. |
| volver a + inf. | do again | Vuelve a llover. |
| dejar de + inf. | stop doing | He dejado de fumar. |
| empezar / ponerse a + inf. | start doing | Se puso a llorar. |
| soler + inf. | usually do | Suelo cenar a las nueve. |
| estar a punto de + inf. | be about to | Estaba a punto de salir. |
| seguir + gerund | still be doing | Sigo trabajando allí. |
Notes
- soler exists only in present and imperfect: suelo, solía.
- acabar de in the imperfect = had just: Acababa de salir cuando llamaste.
- tener que (must), deber (should), haber que (one must) are also periphrases.
Examples
- Acabamos de comer.We’ve just eaten.
- No vuelvas a hacerlo.Don’t do it again.
- De niño solía pasar los veranos en el pueblo.As a child I used to spend summers in the village.
- El tren está a punto de salir.The train is about to leave.
- Empezó a llover justo cuando salimos.It started to rain just as we left.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Acabo comer.✓ Acabo de comer.Acabar needs de before the infinitive. English “I have just eaten” is a single auxiliary and adverb.
- ✗ Vuelvo leerlo.✓ Vuelvo a leerlo.Volver a + infinitive means “do again”. English uses the adverb “again”, which has no preposition.
- ✗ Dejé fumar.✓ Dejé de fumar.Dejar de + infinitive means “stop doing”. English “quit smoking” has no preposition.
- ✗ Sigo trabajo.✓ Sigo trabajando.Seguir is followed by a gerund. English “keep on working” also uses -ing, but learners confuse the noun trabajo.
- ✗ Empiezo trabajar.✓ Empiezo a trabajar.Empezar needs a before the infinitive. English “start working” takes none.