Regular -AR verb

terminar
to finish

Terminar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.

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Terminar conjugation in Spanish

Terminar means 'to finish' or 'to end', and it is a regular -ar verb that is invaluable for talking about routines, plans and sequences of events. Termino mis deberes (I finish my homework), la película terminó tarde (the film ended late). The structure terminar de + infinitive means to finish doing something: terminé de comer (I finished eating). It overlaps with acabar, which means the same. Because describing when things start and finish is part of so many narrative answers, terminar is a useful, predictable regular verb to control across tenses.

Quick facts

Meaningto finish
Verb type-ar verb
Regular / IrregularRegular
CEFR levelA2

Terminar — conjugation tables

Terminar (to finish) is a regular -ar verb.

Indicative
Presente guide →
yotermino
terminas
éltermina
nosterminamos
vostermináis
ellosterminan
Pretérito Indefinido guide →
yoterminé
terminaste
élterminó
nosterminamos
vosterminasteis
ellosterminaron
Pretérito Imperfecto guide →
yoterminaba
terminabas
élterminaba
nosterminábamos
vosterminabais
ellosterminaban
Futuro guide →
yoterminaré
terminarás
élterminará
nosterminaremos
vosterminaréis
ellosterminarán
Condicional guide →
yoterminaría
terminarías
élterminaría
nosterminaríamos
vosterminaríais
ellosterminarían
Pretérito Perfecto guide →
yohe terminado
has terminado
élha terminado
noshemos terminado
voshabéis terminado
elloshan terminado
Pluscuamperfecto guide →
yohabía terminado
habías terminado
élhabía terminado
noshabíamos terminado
voshabíais terminado
elloshabían terminado
Futuro Compuesto guide →
yohabré terminado
habrás terminado
élhabrá terminado
noshabremos terminado
voshabréis terminado
elloshabrán terminado
Presente Progresivo guide →
yoestoy terminando
estás terminando
élestá terminando
nosestamos terminando
vosestáis terminando
ellosestán terminando
Subjunctive
Pres. Subjuntivo guide →
yotermine
termines
éltermine
nosterminemos
vosterminéis
ellosterminen
Imperf. Subjuntivo guide →
yoterminara
terminaras
élterminara
nostermináramos
vosterminarais
ellosterminaran
Imperative
Imperativo guide →
yo
termina
éltermine
nosterminemos
vosterminad
ellosterminen

Example sentences with terminar

Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.

1.
termino.
I finish.
2.
¿Terminas?
Do you finish?
3.
Terminó ayer.
He/she finished yesterday.
4.
No termino mucho.
I don't finish much.
5.
Siempre terminan juntos.
They always finish together.

How to use terminar

Finishing

Termino a las cinco (I finish at five).

Finishing doing

Terminar de + infinitive: terminé de comer.

Ending

La clase terminó (the class ended).

Synonym

Acabar means the same and adds variety.

Common phrases using terminar

Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.

terminar + infinitivoto to finish + another verb
no terminoI don't to finish
¿Terminas?question form

Idiomatic expressions

terminar deto finish doing
terminar conto put an end to / break up with
se acabóit's over

Common mistakes with terminar

Terminar is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.

Grammar notes

terminar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know terminar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.

Practice terminar — free

Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.

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Quick quiz — terminar

Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.

él / ella (Presente)
nosotros (Pretérito Indefinido)
yo (Pretérito Indefinido)

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate terminar in the present tense?

yo: termino, tú: terminas, él: termina, nosotros: terminamos, vosotros: termináis, ellos: terminan

Is terminar a regular or irregular verb?

Terminar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.

How do you use terminar in a GCSE Spanish essay?

Use terminar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.

Similar verbs to terminar

Verbs that are easy to confuse with terminar or that behave like it.

acabarto finish — a direct synonym of terminar.
empezarto begin — the opposite of finishing.
completarto complete — finishing fully.

Related verbs

hablar caminar trabajar escuchar

This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Terminar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.