desactivar
“desactivar” means “to deactivate” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to deactivate, to disable
Also: to turn off
📝 In Action
Necesito desactivar la alarma del despertador.
A1I need to turn off the alarm clock.
Puedes desactivar las notificaciones en los ajustes del teléfono.
A2You can disable notifications in the phone settings.
El técnico tuvo que desactivar el sistema de seguridad para entrar.
B1The technician had to deactivate the security system to enter.
to defuse, to neutralize
📝 In Action
El mediador logró desactivar el conflicto entre las dos empresas.
B2The mediator managed to defuse the conflict between the two companies.
Su sentido del humor ayudó a desactivar la tensión en la reunión.
C1His sense of humor helped defuse the tension in the meeting.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: desactivar
Question 1 of 3
If you want to stop getting emails from a website, you should ___ the notifications.
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Formed by adding the prefix 'des-' (indicating reversal or negation) to the verb 'activar,' which comes from Latin 'activus' (active/busy).
First recorded: 19th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'desactivar' a regular verb?
Yes! It follows the standard pattern for all -ar verbs like 'hablar' or 'cantar' in every tense.
Can I use 'desactivar' for my computer?
Yes, but usually for specific features or software. If you want to turn off the physical machine, use 'apagar'.
How do you say 'deactivated'?
You use the past participle: 'desactivado' (masculine) or 'desactivada' (feminine).