Difference between ‘наконец’ and ‘в конце концов’

It’s a common mistake, even at high levels of language proficiency, to believe that ‘наконец’ and ‘в конце концов’ are synonymous and interchangeable. Let’s figure it out.

We use ‘наконец’ or ‘наконец-то’ when something what we have been waiting for finally happens. In English that would be ‘finally’ and ‘at last’.

Я наконец получил свой диплом! = I have got my degree at last!
Наконец-то вы познакомитесь! = Finally you will get to know each other!

В конце концов’ is used to end a story, to introduce a final result. It can be translated into English as ‘in the end’.

В конце концов он принял наше предложение. = In the end, he accepted our offer.

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Another meaning of ‘в конце концов’ is ‘eventually’.

В конце концов она всё равно узнает правду. = She eventually will find out the truth anyway.

Also ‘в конце концов’ can be translated as ‘after all’.

В конце концов, я всего лишь человек. = I’m just a human, after all.

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