Dejar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Dejar (to leave, to let, to allow) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -ar verb pattern in every tense, so it is a great model verb to master early.

Indicative Tenses of Dejar

Dejar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Dejo las llaves en la mesa de la entrada (I leave the keys on the hall table).

Present tense rules →

Dejar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer dejé el trabajo después de cinco años (Yesterday I quit the job after five years).

Preterite rules →

Dejar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he dejado de fumar definitivamente (Today I have quit smoking for good).

Present perfect rules →

Dejar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De pequeño siempre dejaba la luz encendida (As a child I always used to leave the light on).

Imperfect rules →

Dejar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando volví, ya había dejado todo recogido (When I came back, I had already left everything tidy).

Past perfect rules →

Dejar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana dejaré el coche en el taller (Tomorrow I will leave the car at the garage).

Future tense rules →

Dejar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para junio ya habremos dejado el piso (By June we will have moved out of the flat).

Future perfect rules →

Dejar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar dejaría ese trabajo (If I were you, I would quit that job).

Conditional rules →

Dejar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría dejado un recado, pero no tenía papel (I would have left a message, but I had no paper).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Dejar

Present Subjunctive of Dejar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que dejes de preocuparte tanto (I want you to stop worrying so much).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Dejar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas dejado la puerta cerrada (I hope you have left the door closed).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Dejar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si dejaras el móvil, dormirías mejor (If you put down your phone, you would sleep better).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Dejar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras dejado el coche en casa, no habría pasado nada (If you had left the car at home, nothing would have happened).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Dejar

Affirmative Commands of Dejar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Deja eso ahí y ven a ayudarme! (Leave that there and come help me!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Dejar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No dejes la comida en la mesa toda la noche (Don't leave the food on the table all night).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Dejar

• Dejar de + infinitive - to stop doing something (dejar de fumar - to quit smoking)
• Dejar en paz - to leave someone alone
• Dejar plantado a alguien - to stand someone up
• Dejar caer - to drop something, or to hint at an idea
• No dejar títere con cabeza - to criticize everything without exception