terminar de comer
/teɾminaɾ de komeɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "done eating" is translated into Spanish as terminar de comer.
terminar de comer is used to express the act of finishing a meal. When using the verb terminar to express completing an action, you must include the preposition de before the following infinitive.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you might hear He acabado de comer to mean "I have finished eating." In Latin America, it is common to use Ya terminé de almorzar to specifically mean "I have finished eating lunch."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase terminar de comer is the infinitive form, which is used when the action of finishing a meal is the subject of a sentence or follows another verb. If you want to describe being in the state of having finished eating (e.g., "I am done eating"), use the past participle terminado with the verb estar, forming terminado de comer.
How do you pronounce it?
/teɾminaɾ de komeɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the act of finishing a meal is marked by the phrase sobremesa, which refers to the time spent talking at the table after you have terminado de comer.
- The verb terminar shares a root with the English word 'terminal', as both derive from the Latin terminus meaning a boundary or end.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to say estoy lleno or estoy repleto to signal you are done eating, meaning 'I am full'.
Examples in context
- Me disculpo por la interrupción. He terminado de comer y podemos continuar la reunión.I apologize for the interruption. I have finished eating, and we can continue the meeting.
- Me encantó la cena, pero ya he acabado de cenar.I loved the dinner, but I have finished eating dinner.
- Quiero agradecerles la comida. He finalizado la comida y puedo continuar con el resto de la reunión.I want to thank you for the meal. I have finished eating, and I can proceed with the rest of the meeting.
- No quiero postre, gracias. Ya terminé de comer.I don't want dessert, thank you. I'm done eating.
- Ya terminé de comer.I already finished eating.
- Voy a terminar de comer primero.I am going to finish eating first.
- ¿Ya vas a terminar de comer?Are you going to finish eating already?
- Él quiere terminar de comer antes de salir.He wants to finish eating before leaving.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comer, de, terminar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
