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dejo

DEH-hoh/ˈdexo/

“dejo” means “accent” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

accent, trace

Also: residual taste, touch
NounmB2
A person's profile illustrated in a simple storybook style. A brightly colored, swirling ribbon emerges from their mouth, symbolizing a unique accent or speech characteristic.

📝 In Action

Aunque vive en Madrid, todavía tiene un dejo gallego.

B1

Even though he lives in Madrid, he still has a Galician accent/lilt.

El café dejó un dejo amargo en mi paladar.

B2

The coffee left a bitter residual taste on my palate.

Su estilo de baile tiene un dejo de flamenco clásico.

C1

Her dancing style has a touch/flair of classic flamenco.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • tener un dejo – to have a trace/lilt
  • dejo amargo – bitter aftertaste

I leave, I let

Also: I quit, I give up
VerbA1regular ar
A close-up illustration of a hand gently setting a small, bright red box down onto a plain wooden surface, depicting the action of depositing an object.
infinitivedejar
gerunddejando
past Participledejado

📝 In Action

Siempre dejo mi bicicleta en el garaje.

A1

I always leave my bicycle in the garage.

No dejo que nadie use mi teléfono.

A2

I don't let anyone use my phone.

Dejo de fumar mañana, lo prometo.

B1

I quit smoking tomorrow, I promise.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • dejo un mensaje – I leave a message
  • dejo de trabajar – I quit working

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/usteddeja
yodejo
túdejas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdejan
nosotrosdejamos
vosotrosdejáis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddejaba
yodejaba
túdejabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesdejaban
nosotrosdejábamos
vosotrosdejabais

preterite

él/ella/usteddejó
yodejé
túdejaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesdejaron
nosotrosdejamos
vosotrosdejasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/usteddeje
yodeje
túdejes
ellos/ellas/ustedesdejen
nosotrosdejemos
vosotrosdejéis

imperfect

él/ella/usteddejara/dejase
yodejara/dejase
túdejaras/dejases
ellos/ellas/ustedesdejaran/dejasen
nosotrosdejáramos/dejásemos
vosotrosdejarais/dejaseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

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✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: dejo

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'dejo' in its noun form (meaning trace or accent)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
dejar(to leave, to let) — Verb
dejadez(laziness, neglect) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
anejoconsejo
📚 Etymology▼

Both the verb form ('I leave') and the noun ('trace') come from the Latin verb *laxāre*, meaning 'to loosen' or 'to relax.' The idea of the noun comes from what is 'left behind' or 'loosened' from the main object.

First recorded: 12th century (as the verb 'dejar')

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: deixar

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'dejo' mean two different things (a noun and a verb form)?

This happens often in Spanish! They are homonyms. The verb form ('I leave/let') and the noun ('a trace/what is left') share the same root, *dejar*. They sound identical but have completely different roles in a sentence.