despejar
“despejar” means “to clear” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
to clear
Also: to empty, to unclog
📝 In Action
La policía tuvo que despejar la calle para la ambulancia.
B1The police had to clear the street for the ambulance.
Por favor, despeja la mesa para que podamos comer.
A2Please, clear off the table so that we can eat.
Despejaron el edificio por una amenaza de bomba.
B1They cleared the building because of a bomb threat.
to clear up
📝 In Action
Parece que el cielo se está despejando.
A2It looks like the sky is clearing up.
Después de la tormenta, el día despejó por completo.
B1After the storm, the day cleared up completely.
to clear one's head, to resolve
📝 In Action
Salgo a caminar para despejar la mente.
B1I go for a walk to clear my head.
Sus palabras despejaron todas mis dudas.
B2His words cleared up all my doubts.
to solve for, to clear
📝 In Action
Tienes que despejar la 'x' para resolver la ecuación.
B2You have to solve for 'x' to resolve the equation.
¡El defensa despejó el balón justo a tiempo!
B1The defender cleared the ball just in time!
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: despejar
Question 1 of 3
If you go for a walk to relax after a long day of study, you are going to...
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Spanish prefix 'des-' (meaning to remove) and 'peaje' or the Latin 'pedis' (foot/obstacle), literally meaning to remove obstacles from the path.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'despejar' only for physical objects?
No! It is incredibly versatile. You can clear a room (physical), clear your doubts (mental), solve a math equation (technical), or talk about the weather clearing up.
What is the difference between 'despejar' and 'quitar'?
'Quitar' means to remove one specific thing. 'Despejar' means to make a whole area empty or free of obstacles.
Can I use 'despejar' for my computer's memory?
Yes, you can use it to talk about clearing up space (despejar espacio) on a hard drive or memory.