terminaste
/teɾminaste/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the English phrase "you're done" is expressed as terminaste.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they have finished a task or activity. While English uses the state of being ('you are done'), Spanish typically uses the completed action of the verb ('you finished').
Which one should you use?
The form terminaste specifically means "you finished," whereas the English "you're done" describes a current state. To ask if a third person (he/she/it) is done, you would use terminó instead of terminaste.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, people might say ya has terminado in informal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form terminaste is the second-person singular preterite (past tense) of the verb terminar.
How do you pronounce it?
/teɾminaste/
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'you are finished' in a way that implies you are 'done for' or in deep trouble, you might say estás acabado instead of using the verb terminar.
- In many Latin American countries, you can use the word listo to mean 'done' or 'ready', so instead of terminaste, someone might simply ask ¿Listo? to see if you are finished.
- The root verb terminar shares a common ancestor with the English word 'terminal', both coming from the Latin 'terminus' meaning a boundary or limit.
Examples in context
- Terminaste.You're done.Tatoeba #9989371 by baudelaire, translation #2202790 by CK
- Gracias por su arduo trabajo, ha terminado la presentación de manera excelente.Thank you for your hard work, you have finished the presentation excellently.
- Genial, ya terminaste de lavar los platos.Great, you finished washing the dishes.
- ¿Ya terminaste con la tarea?Are you done with the homework already?
- Si terminaste de limpiar, podemos irnos.If you're done cleaning, we can leave.
Example conversation
Lucía is checking Daniel's progress on a project.
- Lucía¿Cómo vas con el dibujo, Daniel?How are you doing with the drawing, Daniel?
- DanielCreo que ya lo tengo listo.I think I have it ready now.
- Lucía¡Perfecto, entonces terminaste!Perfect, so you're done!
- DanielSí, ya podemos irnos.Yes, we can leave now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
