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desembarcar

de-sem-bar-kar/desembarˈkaɾ/

“desembarcar” means “to disembark” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to disembark, to land

Also: to get off
VerbB1regular with spelling change ar
A group of happy travelers walking down a wooden ramp from a large white ship onto a sunny dock.
gerunddesembarcando
past Participledesembarcado
infinitivedesembarcar

📝 In Action

Los pasajeros comenzaron a desembarcar a las ocho de la mañana.

B1

The passengers began to disembark at eight in the morning.

No olvides tu pasaporte antes de desembarcar del avión.

A2

Don't forget your passport before getting off the plane.

El ejército planeaba desembarcar en la costa al amanecer.

B2

The army planned to land on the coast at dawn.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • desembarcar en el puerto – to disembark at the port
  • orden de desembarcar – order to disembark

to enter a market

Also: to unload
VerbC1regular with spelling change arformal
A person setting up a new market stall with a bright striped awning in a busy town square filled with other shops.

📝 In Action

La cadena de hoteles planea desembarcar en México el próximo año.

C1

The hotel chain plans to enter the Mexican market next year.

Están desembarcando los suministros médicos en el muelle.

B2

They are unloading the medical supplies on the dock.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • desembarcar en un mercado – to enter/expand into a market

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdesembarcaran
yodesembarcara
túdesembarcaras
vosotrosdesembarcarais
nosotrosdesembarcáramos
él/ella/usteddesembarcara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdesembarquen
yodesembarque
túdesembarques
vosotrosdesembarquéis
nosotrosdesembarquemos
él/ella/usteddesembarque

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesdesembarcaron
yodesembarqué
túdesembarcaste
vosotrosdesembarcasteis
nosotrosdesembarcamos
él/ella/usteddesembarcó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdesembarcaban
yodesembarcaba
túdesembarcabas
vosotrosdesembarcabais
nosotrosdesembarcábamos
él/ella/usteddesembarcaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdesembarcan
yodesembarco
túdesembarcas
vosotrosdesembarcáis
nosotrosdesembarcamos
él/ella/usteddesembarca
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "desembarcar" in Spanish:

to disembark→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: desembarcar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is the correct 'I' form in the past (Preterite)?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
barco(ship/boat) — Noun
embarcar(to board) — Verb
desembarco(landing / disembarkation) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the prefix 'des-' (meaning to undo) combined with 'embarcar' (to put in a boat), which comes from 'barca' (small boat).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: débarquerEnglish: disembark

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'desembarcar' for getting out of a car?

No, it's generally reserved for ships, planes, or large-scale military landings. Use 'bajar del coche' for a car.

Is it 'desembarcar de' or 'desembarcar en'?

Both! Use 'de' for where you are coming from (the ship) and 'en' for where you are arriving (the port/country).

Is 'desembarcar' a regular verb?

Mostly! It follows regular -ar patterns, but has a small spelling change (c to qu) in the 'yo' past form and the subjunctive to keep the sound consistent.