dejo

DEH-hoh

nounmB2

accent?speech characteristic,trace?slight remnant or sign

Also:residual taste?flavor remaining,touch?mannerism or style

📝 In Action

Aunque vive en Madrid, todavía tiene un dejo gallego.

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

El café dejó un dejo amargo en mi paladar.

The coffee left a bitter residual taste on my palate.

Su estilo de baile tiene un dejo de flamenco clásico.

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

Word Connections

Synonyms

acento (accent)
rastro (trace)

Common Collocations

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

💡 Grammar Points

Always Masculine

When used as a noun meaning 'accent' or 'trace,' 'dejo' is always masculine, so you use 'el' or 'un' before it.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Noun and Verb

Mistake: "Yo no dejo acento."

Correction: This doesn't make sense. The correct structure is 'Yo no noto el dejo' (I don't notice the accent). Remember the verb form is 'I leave/allow,' while the noun is the 'trace left behind.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Describing Personality

This is a great word for adding subtlety: use it to describe a slight, indefinable characteristic, like 'un dejo de misterio' (a trace of mystery).

✏️ 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

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.