Finished In Spanish | The Right Word Every Time

Use terminado, acabado, or listo based on whether you mean done, complete, or ready.

English treats “finished” like one neat little box. Spanish doesn’t. That’s why this word trips people up. You hear terminado, then acabado, then listo, and all three can look right.

The good news is that there’s a clean way to sort them out. Once you match the word to the kind of “finished” you mean, your Spanish starts sounding natural instead of translated.

This article gives you the versions native speakers reach for most, where each one fits, and the places where English habits can make a sentence sound off.

Finished In Spanish In Daily Speech

If you want one safe default, start with terminado. It works well when something has been completed, ended, or brought to its final point.

Still, native speakers don’t use one word for every case. They switch based on the situation:

• Terminado for completed work, tasks, writing, homework, or a process that has ended.
• Acabado for something finished from start to end, often with a sense of being fully done.
• Listo for ready, prepared, or set to go.
• Hecho in a few fixed uses, such as food or work that has already been done.

That split matters. “I’m finished with my report” and “Dinner is finished” don’t always want the same Spanish word. One points to completion. The other may point to readiness or a finished state.

Pick The Word By Meaning, Not By Habit

Terminado

Terminado comes from terminar. It’s a strong pick when you mean that something has reached its end. You’ll hear it with schoolwork, forms, projects, meetings, books, and chores.

Say:

• Ya he terminado el informe. — I’ve finished the report.
• El curso ya está terminado. — The course is finished.
• Cuando esté terminado, te lo mando. — When it’s finished, I’ll send it to you.

This option feels neutral and dependable. If you’re unsure, it’s often the safest start.

Acabado

Acabado comes from acabar. In many places it also means “finished,” and plenty of speakers use it with no friction at all. In Spain, it often sounds natural with tasks, books, meals, and work that has been completed.

Say:

• El libro está acabado. — The book is finished.
• Ya he acabado la tarea. — I’ve finished the homework.
• La obra quedó acabada en junio. — The work was finished in June.

In some parts of Latin America, terminado may sound more neutral for everyday completion. So acabado is correct, but local taste can tilt one way or the other.

Listo

Listo does not mean “finished” in every case. It means ready. That sounds close in English, but the feel is different. Use it when something is prepared for the next step.

Say:

• La cena está lista. — Dinner is ready.
• Ya estoy listo. — I’m ready now.
• El documento está listo para enviar. — The document is ready to send.

If you say estoy terminado, you’re not saying “I’m finished” in the casual English sense. It can sound dramatic, as if you’re exhausted, broken, or done for. That’s a different message.

Ways To Say You’re Finished In Spanish Without Sounding Stiff

Native speakers often pick a full phrase instead of a dictionary match. That’s where Spanish starts to sound smooth.

You’ll hear patterns like these again and again:

• Ya terminé. — I finished.
• Ya acabé. — I’m done.
• Ya está terminado. — It’s finished.
• Ya está listo. — It’s ready.
• Acabo de terminar. — I just finished.

The RAE entry for terminar centers on putting an end to something, which matches the way learners use it for completed tasks. The RAE entry for acabar also carries the sense of bringing something to its end. For “ready,” the RAE entry for listo points to being prepared or set, which is why it fits some English uses of “finished” and misses others.

English Situation	Best Spanish Choice	Natural Example
I finished my homework	Terminé / He terminado	Ya terminé la tarea.
The movie is finished	Ha terminado / Se acabó	La película ya terminó.
The report is finished	Está terminado	El informe está terminado.
Dinner is ready	Está listo	La cena está lista.
I’m done eating	Ya acabé / Ya terminé	Ya acabé de comer.
The house is finished	Está acabada / Está terminada	La casa ya está terminada.
Are you ready?	¿Estás listo?	¿Ya estás lista?
I just finished	Acabo de terminar	Acabo de terminar el trabajo.

Grammar Patterns That Sound Natural

Use A Simple Verb For Actions You Completed

When you finished doing something, Spanish often prefers a verb over an adjective.

That gives you lines like terminé el trabajo or acabé la llamada. These feel direct and clean. They’re often better than forcing “is finished” into every sentence.

Use Estar Plus A Past Participle For A Finished State

When the focus is the result, not the action, use estar with terminado or acabado.

• La tarea está terminada.
• La pintura está acabada.

This pattern is common when you’re pointing to the final condition of a thing.

Use Listo When Something Is Prepared

Food, files, bags, rooms, and people are often listo when they’re ready for what comes next.

That’s why La maleta está lista sounds better than La maleta está terminada. A suitcase is packed and ready. It isn’t “completed” in the same way a report is.

Common Mix-Ups And How To Fix Them

Most mistakes come from translating word by word. Here are the ones learners hit most:

• Estoy terminado for “I’m done.” Use Ya terminé or Ya acabé instead.
• La cena está terminada when you mean it’s ready to eat. Use La cena está lista.
• Estoy listo when you mean you completed a task. Use Ya terminé.
• One word for every case. Spanish shifts based on action, result, and readiness.

There’s also a style point here. If the sentence already names the action, a short verb can sound sharper than a longer structure. Ya terminé often lands better than Ya estoy terminado con eso, which sounds like English wearing a Spanish coat.

If You Mean…	Say This	Avoid This
I finished the task	Ya terminé la tarea.	Estoy listo la tarea.
I’m ready to go	Ya estoy listo.	Estoy terminado.
The food is ready	La comida está lista.	La comida está terminada.
The project is complete	El proyecto está terminado.	El proyecto está listo if you mean fully completed
I just finished	Acabo de terminar.	Estoy acabado.
The building was completed	El edificio quedó acabado.	El edificio está listo if you mean the construction ended

Natural Sentences You Can Reuse Right Away

Here’s a set of lines that fit common daily moments:

• Ya terminé. — I’m done.
• Ya acabé. — I finished.
• Aún no está terminado. — It isn’t finished yet.
• Cuando esté listo, te aviso. — I’ll let you know when it’s ready.
• La obra ya está acabada. — The work is finished already.
• Acabo de terminar de leerlo. — I just finished reading it.
• ¿Ya está lista la cena? — Is dinner ready yet?

If you want one simple rule to carry with you, use terminar for completed actions, acabado or terminado for finished results, and listo for readiness. That one split clears up most of the confusion around “finished” in Spanish.