Terminar with Prepositions

Terminar with Prepositions

To finish something

You need the verb terminar to finish a thing. Terminé el libro.
You need the verb terminar + de to finish an action. Terminé de leer el libro.

terminar + noun

Use this when you finish a thing.

• Terminé la tarea. – I finished the homework.
  
• Terminé el libro. – I finished the book.
  
• Terminaron la reunión. – They finished the meeting.
  
• La película termina a las diez. – The movie ends at ten.
  

👉 No de because you’re finishing a noun, not an action.

terminar + de + infinitive verb

Use this when you finish doing something.

• Terminé de leer el libro. – I finished reading the book.
  
• Terminamos de cenar. – We finished eating dinner.
  
• ¿Ya terminaste de comer? – Have you finished eating?
  

👉 de + infinitive is required because you’re finishing an activity.

To end in / to result in / to finish with the outcome of…

Terminar en + noun

Maps nicely to the way we say in English “ends in / terminar en”. Use it the same way you would in English.

• La discusión terminó en una pelea. – The discussion ended in a fight.
  
• El viaje terminó en tragedia. – The trip ended in tragedy.
  
• La fiesta terminó en un desastre. – The party ended in a disaster.

To end up doing something

Terminar por + infinitive

Meaning: “to end up (finally) doing something,” often after a process or hesitation.
Tone: slightly formal/literary, more common in writing or careful speech.
Emphasizes the decision or resolution.

• Al final, terminé por aceptar la oferta. – In the end, I ended up accepting the offer.
  
• Con el tiempo, terminaron por entender la situación. – Over time, they ended up understanding the situation.

Terminar + gerund 

Meaning: “to end up (actually) doing something,” with a more colloquial, everyday feel.
Emphasizes the action that eventually happened and sounds closer to everyday English “ended up ___-ing.”

• María terminó pagando. – María ended up paying.
  
• Juan y Carlos siempre terminan hablando de política. – Juan and Carlos always end up talking about politics.

Ended up (in a particular state)

Terminar + past participle

Meaning: “to end up in a certain state / condition.”
Tone: can sound formal or literary, more common in news reports, writing, or when you want a concise headline feel.

• El evento terminó cancelado. – The event ended up cancelled.
  
• El carro terminó destrozado. – The car ended up wrecked.
  
• La reunión terminó aplazada. – The meeting ended up postponed.
  

Variants and everyday options

Native speakers more often use:

• terminar + gerund:
  El evento terminó siendo cancelado. – “The event ended up being cancelled.” (very common)
  
• quedar(se) + past participle:
  El carro quedó destrozado. – “The car ended up wrecked.” (very common and neutral)

Terminar con 

terminar con works in two related but distinct ways, both very common.

terminar con + person/thing → “to break up with / to be done with”

Used when you end a relationship or finish dealing with something.

• Juan terminó con su novia. – Juan broke up with his girlfriend.
  
• Terminé con el informe. – I’m done with the report.
  
• Quiero terminar con este problema. – I want to be done with this problem.
  

terminar con + noun → “to end up with / to wind up having”

Used when you end up possessing or being stuck with something (often unexpectedly).

• Vas a terminar con salsa en la camisa. – You’re going to end up with sauce on your shirt.
  
• Terminé con tres gatos en casa. – I ended up with three cats at home.
  
• Ella terminó con una deuda enorme. – She ended up with a huge debt.