dejar
/de-HAR/
to leave
Dejar (to leave/put down) illustrated by leaving keys on a table.
dejar(Verb)
📝 In Action
Dejé mis llaves en la mesa de la cocina.
A1I left my keys on the kitchen table.
Por favor, deja los zapatos en la entrada.
A1Please, leave the shoes at the entrance.
Mi hermano me dejó en el aeropuerto.
A2My brother dropped me off at the airport.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'dejar' and 'salir'
Mistake: "Quiero dejar la fiesta ahora. (I want to leave the party now.)"
Correction: Quiero salir de la fiesta ahora. Use 'salir' when you mean a person is leaving a place. Use 'dejar' when you mean leaving an object or person behind.
⭐ Usage Tips
Leaving things behind
Think of 'dejar' as setting something down and walking away from it. Whether it's your keys on the counter or a friend at the train station, you are 'leaving' them in that place.
Dejar (to let/allow) shown by permitting someone to pass through a gate.
📝 In Action
Mis padres no me dejan salir esta noche.
A2My parents won't let me go out tonight.
Déjame ver qué puedo hacer.
A2Let me see what I can do.
¿Puedes dejarme pasar, por favor?
B1Can you let me pass, please?
💡 Grammar Points
The 'dejar + action' pattern
When you want to say you 'let' someone do something, use this simple recipe: 'dejar' + the person + the action verb in its original '-ar', '-er', or '-ir' form. For example: 'Ella me deja usar su coche' (She lets me use her car).
⭐ Usage Tips
Use 'Déjame...' to offer help
A friendly and natural way to offer help is by starting your sentence with 'Déjame...' which means 'Let me...'. For example: 'Déjame ayudarte con eso' (Let me help you with that).
Dejar de (to stop/quit) depicted as rain ceasing and the sun coming out.
📝 In Action
Voy a dejar de fumar el próximo mes.
B1I'm going to stop smoking next month.
¡Deja de quejarte todo el tiempo!
B1Stop complaining all the time!
Dejó de llover hace una hora.
B1It stopped raining an hour ago.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'dejar de + action' pattern
To talk about stopping an activity, you always need the little word 'de' after 'dejar'. The recipe is: 'dejar de' + the action verb in its original '-ar', '-er', or '-ir' form. 'Dejo de trabajar' (I stop working).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting 'de'
Mistake: "Quiero dejar fumar."
Correction: Quiero dejar de fumar. When 'dejar' means 'to stop' or 'to quit' an action, it almost always needs 'de' before the next verb.
Dejar (to make/leave in a state) illustrated by a person being left speechless or surprised by an event.
dejar(Verb)
📝 In Action
La noticia me dejó muy sorprendido.
B1The news left me very surprised.
El sol me dejó la piel roja.
B1The sun left my skin red / made my skin red.
Tu comentario me dejó sin palabras.
B2Your comment left me speechless.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'dejar + feeling' pattern
Use this structure to talk about how something made you feel: 'Something' + 'me/te/le dejó' + a word describing the feeling. For example, 'La película me dejó triste' (The movie left me sad).
Dejar (to lend/loan) shown by one person offering another person an umbrella.
dejar(Verb)
📝 In Action
Te dejo mi libro, pero devuélvemelo la próxima semana.
B1I'll lend you my book, but return it to me next week.
¿Me dejas tu paraguas? Está lloviendo mucho.
B1Can you lend me your umbrella? It's raining a lot.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'dejar' to say 'borrow'
Mistake: "*Yo dejo tu libro. (Trying to say 'I borrow your book')"
Correction: Quiero pedir prestado tu libro. OR ¿Me dejas tu libro? 'Dejar' means to lend (to give). To borrow (to take), you use 'pedir prestado'. However, you can ask someone to lend you something by saying '¿Me dejas...?' which is the most common way to ask 'Can I borrow...?'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Asking to borrow things
The easiest and most common way to ask to borrow something is to ask someone to lend it to you. Just say: '¿Me dejas...?' ('Can you let me have...?'). For example, '¿Me dejas tu coche?' (Can I borrow your car?).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: dejar
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'dejar' to mean 'to stop'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'dejar' and 'salir'?
Think of it this way: 'Salir' is for when a person leaves a place ('Salgo de la casa' - I leave the house). 'Dejar' is for when you leave an object somewhere ('Dejo el libro en la mesa' - I leave the book on the table) or leave a person behind ('Dejo a mi amigo en la estación' - I leave my friend at the station).
How do I say 'to borrow'? Is it 'dejar'?
'Dejar' actually means 'to lend' (to give). The official way to say 'to borrow' is 'pedir prestado'. However, the most common and natural way to ask to borrow something is to ask someone to lend it to you: '¿Me dejas tu bolígrafo?' (Literally 'Do you lend me your pen?', but it means 'Can I borrow your pen?').
Do I always need 'de' after 'dejar'?
No, only when you mean 'to stop' doing something. For example, 'dejar de fumar' (to stop smoking). For other meanings, like 'to leave something' ('dejar las llaves') or 'to let someone' ('dejar pasar'), you don't use 'de'.