How do I say end up doing something in Spanish?

Acabar por + infinitive (or terminar por + infinitive). Conjugate acabar in any tense, add por, then the infinitive. Acabé por aceptar (I ended up accepting). Acabarás por entenderlo (You'll end up understanding it).

What's the difference between acabar por and acabar de + infinitive?

Acabar por + infinitive = end up doing (eventual outcome). Acabar de + infinitive = just did something (recent past). The preposition makes a major difference. Acabo de comer = I just ate. Acabo por comer = I end up eating.

Why use acabar por instead of finalmente + verb?

Acabar por + infinitive is more compact and natural in spoken Spanish. Acabé por aceptar is smoother than Finalmente acepté. Both are correct, but acabar por flows better in narrative.

Are acabar por and terminar por interchangeable?

Yes. Both express eventual outcomes after a process. Acabé por irme = Terminé por irme. Acabar is slightly more colloquial; terminar is slightly more formal. Either works in most contexts.

How can I learn acabar por naturally?

Eventual outcomes are common in storytelling and reflection. Parrot's short-form videos surface acabé por aceptar / acabarás por entender in real conversations, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.

Spanish grammar · Advanced

Acabar Por + Infinitive: How to Say End Up Doing in Spanish

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Periphrastic meaning to end up doing (after some process or hesitation). Conjugate acabar (regular -ar verb) in any tense, add por, follow with an infinitive. Common for describing eventual outcomes.

Acabaron por aceptar la oferta.

They ended up accepting the offer.

What it is

Acabar por + infinitive expresses the eventual outcome of a process, often after hesitation, debate, or struggle. Conjugate acabar (regular -ar verb) in any tense, add por, then an infinitive. Equivalent to English end up doing or finally do.

In Acabaron por aceptar la oferta (They ended up accepting the offer), acabaron is the preterite ellos form of acabar, por is the connector, and aceptar is the infinitive. The construction implies they hesitated before accepting.

How to spot it

Look for acabar + por + infinitive. The por is mandatory. Often used in past tenses to describe eventual outcomes. The synonym terminar por works the same way.

Acabé por aceptar. — I ended up accepting.
Acabarán por entenderlo. — They'll end up understanding it.
Acabamos por irnos. — We ended up leaving.

Don't confuse acabar por + infinitive (end up doing) with acabar de + infinitive (just did). The preposition makes a major difference.

Acabar por + Infinitive Quick Reference

Acabar por across tenses

Tense	yo form	Meaning
Present	acabo por + inf.	I end up...
Preterite	acabé por + inf.	I ended up...
Imperfect	acababa por + inf.	I used to end up...
Future	acabaré por + inf.	I'll end up...
Conditional	acabaría por + inf.	I would end up...
Subjunctive	acabe por + inf.	(that) I end up...

Common Acabar por + Infinitive Examples in Spanish

Acabar por covers eventual outcomes, often after hesitation, struggle, or debate. Used to summarize how a process resolved.

Past Outcomes

Acabé por aceptar el trabajo.: I ended up accepting the job.
Acabaron por irse.: They ended up leaving.
Acabamos por entender el problema.: We ended up understanding the problem.
Acabó por arrepentirse.: He ended up regretting it.
Acabasteis por hacerlo bien.: You all ended up doing it well.

Past tense acabar por + infinitive describes how a debate, struggle, or process eventually resolved.

Predicted Outcomes (Future)

Acabarás por entenderlo.: You'll end up understanding it.
Acabaremos por aceptar.: We'll end up accepting.
Si sigues así, acabarás por enfermarte.: If you keep this up, you'll end up getting sick.
Acabará por darse cuenta.: He'll end up realizing.
Acabarán por casarse.: They'll end up getting married.

Future-tense acabar por + infinitive predicts an eventual outcome based on current trends.

Conditional and Hypothetical

Acabaría por enloquecer si no descansara.: He'd end up going crazy if he didn't rest.
Si me preguntaras, acabaría por decirte la verdad.: If you asked me, I'd end up telling you the truth.
Sin práctica, acabarían por olvidarlo.: Without practice, they'd end up forgetting it.
Acabaríamos por aburrirnos.: We'd end up getting bored.
Si seguía así, acabaría por arruinarse.: If he kept going like that, he'd end up ruined.

Conditional acabar por + infinitive describes hypothetical eventual outcomes.

Comparison: Terminar Por

Acabé por aceptar. = Terminé por aceptar.: I ended up accepting.
Acabaron por irse. = Terminaron por irse.: They ended up leaving.
Acabaré por entenderlo. = Terminaré por entenderlo.: I'll end up understanding it.
Acabamos por hacerlo. = Terminamos por hacerlo.: We ended up doing it.
Acabo por aceptar. = Termino por aceptar.: I end up accepting.

Acabar por and terminar por are interchangeable. Both express eventual outcomes after a process.

How Acabar Por Works

Structure: Acabar + Por + Infinitive

Conjugate acabar (regular -ar verb) in any tense, add por (always the same), then an infinitive.

Acabo / acabé / acabaré + por + aceptar.

Tense changes only on acabar.

Acabar + por + infinitive.

Don't Confuse Por and De

Acabar de + infinitive means just did (acabo de comer = I just ate). Acabar por + infinitive means end up doing (acabo por comer = I end up eating). The preposition makes a big difference. Both constructions exist; choose carefully.

Acabo de comer (just ate). Acabo por comer (end up eating).

De vs. por flips meaning.

Por = end up. De = just did.

Terminar Por Is a Synonym

Terminar por + infinitive means the same as acabar por + infinitive. Both express eventual outcomes. Acabar is slightly more colloquial; terminar is slightly more formal.

Acabé por irme. = Terminé por irme.

Synonyms.

Acabar / terminar + por = end up doing.

Implies a Process

Acabar por implies the speaker went through some process (hesitation, debate, change of mind, accumulated pressure) before arriving at the eventual action. It's not a neutral start; it carries the suggestion of build-up.

Acabé por aceptar (after some thought).

Implies eventual outcome after process.

Use when emphasizing eventual outcome.

Common Mistakes with Acabar por + Infinitive

Incorrect: Acabé aceptar. — I ended up accepting. (wrong, missing por)

Correct: Acabé por aceptar. — I ended up accepting.

The construction requires por between acabar and the infinitive. Without por, the sentence either changes meaning or becomes ungrammatical.

Incorrect: Acabé de aceptar el trabajo. (meant: ended up accepting) — I ended up accepting the job. (wrong, de instead of por)

Correct: Acabé por aceptar el trabajo. — I ended up accepting the job.

Acabé de aceptar means I just accepted (recent past). For ended up accepting (eventual outcome), use acabé por aceptar.

Incorrect: Acabaron por aceptando. — They ended up accepting. (wrong, gerund instead of infinitive)

Correct: Acabaron por aceptar. — They ended up accepting.

After acabar por, use the infinitive (aceptar), not the gerund (aceptando). Spanish periphrastic constructions use infinitives.

Acabar por + Infinitive FAQs

How do I say end up doing something in Spanish?: Acabar por + infinitive (or terminar por + infinitive). Conjugate acabar in any tense, add por, then the infinitive. Acabé por aceptar (I ended up accepting). Acabarás por entenderlo (You'll end up understanding it).
What's the difference between acabar por and acabar de + infinitive?: Acabar por + infinitive = end up doing (eventual outcome). Acabar de + infinitive = just did something (recent past). The preposition makes a major difference. Acabo de comer = I just ate. Acabo por comer = I end up eating.
Why use acabar por instead of finalmente + verb?: Acabar por + infinitive is more compact and natural in spoken Spanish. Acabé por aceptar is smoother than Finalmente acepté. Both are correct, but acabar por flows better in narrative.
Are acabar por and terminar por interchangeable?: Yes. Both express eventual outcomes after a process. Acabé por irme = Terminé por irme. Acabar is slightly more colloquial; terminar is slightly more formal. Either works in most contexts.
How can I learn acabar por naturally?: Eventual outcomes are common in storytelling and reflection. Parrot's short-form videos surface acabé por aceptar / acabarás por entender in real conversations, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.