How to Spell Finished in Spanish | Right Word, Right Form

The usual Spanish form is terminado or terminada, with endings that change to match the noun and sentence.

If you want the plain translation of “finished” in Spanish, start with terminado. That is the form many learners want when they are labeling a task, describing a project, or saying something is done. But Spanish does not freeze the word in one shape. The ending shifts with gender and number, and the sentence can shift from an adjective to a verb phrase.

That is why this question trips people up. English lets “finished” do a lot of jobs with one spelling. Spanish spreads that work across forms like terminado, terminada, terminados, terminadas, and at times acabado or he terminado. Once you know which job the word is doing, the right spelling gets a lot easier.

Why There Is Not Just One Form

Spanish words often agree with the noun they describe. So if “finished” acts like an adjective, you do not pick one fixed form and use it everywhere. You match the noun. A masculine singular noun takes terminado. A feminine singular noun takes terminada. Plural nouns take terminados or terminadas.

That means “a finished report” becomes un informe terminado, while “a finished essay” becomes una redacción terminada. Same core idea. Different ending. This agreement pattern is normal Spanish, so using the wrong ending sounds off at once to a native reader.

The Four Spellings Most Learners Need

• terminado — masculine singular
• terminada — feminine singular
• terminados — masculine or mixed plural
• terminadas — feminine plural

If you are writing a heading, label, worksheet answer, or short note with no noun beside it, terminado is often used as the default citation form people learn first. Still, in a full sentence, match the noun in front of you. That one move fixes a lot of beginner errors.

Terminado And Acabado Are Close, But Not Always Twins

Terminado is the safest choice for most learners. It clearly means “finished” or “completed.” Acabado can also mean “finished,” though it may lean toward “done,” “completed,” or even “finish” as a noun in some settings, such as the finish on a surface. So if you want one clean answer for school, travel, or basic writing, terminado is the word to lead with.

You can check the RAE entry for terminar, the RAE entry for acabar, and the Instituto Cervantes grammar inventory if you want the dictionary and grammar base behind these forms.

English Situation	Spanish Form	Where It Fits
A finished report	informe terminado	Masculine singular noun
A finished essay	redacción terminada	Feminine singular noun
Finished products	productos terminados	Masculine plural noun
Finished pages	páginas terminadas	Feminine plural noun
I have finished	he terminado	Verb phrase, not an adjective
We already finished	ya terminamos	Simple past or present-perfect idea by region
The house is finished	la casa está terminada	Resulting state
The finish on the table	el acabado de la mesa	Noun meaning “finish,” not “finished”

How to Spell Finished in Spanish In Real Sentences

The right spelling depends on what you are trying to say. If “finished” describes a thing, use a matching adjective form. If “finished” expresses an action, switch to a full verb phrase. That is the split that matters most.

When It Describes A Noun

Use terminado and its matching forms when the word points to the state of a noun. Think of it as “done” or “completed.” Here are the patterns learners use again and again:

• El proyecto está terminado. — The project is finished.
• La tarea está terminada. — The homework is finished.
• Los documentos están terminados. — The documents are finished.
• Las obras están terminadas. — The works are finished.

Notice what stays steady: the core meaning. Notice what changes: the ending. If you write la tarea está terminado, the grammar breaks because tarea is feminine and the adjective is not matching it.

When It Expresses An Action

If you mean “I finished,” “we finished,” or “they have finished,” Spanish often drops the standalone adjective and uses a verb. That sounds more natural in daily speech. Say he terminado, ya terminé, hemos terminado, or terminaron, based on person and time.

This is where many English speakers overuse terminado by itself. They try to force an adjective into a spot where Spanish wants a verb. “I am finished with the report” is often cleaner as he terminado el informe than as a literal adjective-heavy line.

When Acabado Sounds Better

Acabado works in many places too, and native speakers do use it. You might hear ya he acabado or el trabajo está acabado. Still, it can carry other shades, and as a noun it also means “finish” in the sense of texture or final surface. That extra range is why learners often get cleaner results with terminado first.

If your goal is plain, safe Spanish, use this rule: pick terminado for “finished” as a general adjective, and use a conjugated form of terminar when you mean the action of finishing.

What You Mean	Natural Spanish	Why It Works
The homework is finished	La tarea está terminada	Adjective agrees with a feminine noun
I finished the homework	Terminé la tarea	Verb expresses the action
I have finished the homework	He terminado la tarea	Present perfect structure
The room has a matte finish	La habitación tiene un acabado mate	Acabado is a noun here
The repairs are finished	Las reparaciones están terminadas	Plural feminine agreement

Mistakes That Make The Word Look Wrong

The most common slip is using masculine singular everywhere. Learners memorize terminado and then paste it onto feminine and plural nouns. That works in English. It does not work in Spanish.

Another slip is mixing up “finished” with “finish.” If you need the noun, as in paint finish, wood finish, or surface finish, acabado may be the better word. If you need the adjective, go back to terminado and match the noun. If you need the action, use the verb.

• Wrong:La clase está terminado.
• Right:La clase está terminada.
• Wrong:Yo terminado el trabajo.
• Right:Yo he terminado el trabajo. or Yo terminé el trabajo.

A Simple Way To Choose The Right Form

Ask one short question: am I naming a state, or am I naming an action? If it is a state, use terminado and make it agree with the noun. If it is an action, use terminar as a verb and conjugate it.

That gives you a quick mental check:

• Noun beside it? Match gender and number.
• Person doing the action? Conjugate the verb.
• Talking about surface finish? Test whether acabado is acting as a noun.

So, if someone asks how to spell “finished” in Spanish, the short answer is still terminado. Yet the fuller answer is better: terminado, terminada, terminados, or terminadas when it describes something; he terminado or terminé when it states the action. Learn that split once, and the word stops feeling slippery.