Inklingo

How to Say "disappeared" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “disappeared” is “desaparecida” — use 'desaparecida' when describing something or someone that was missing or gone, indicating a state rather than a sudden action..

English → Spanish

desaparecida

/deh-sah-pah-reh-SEE-dah//desapaɾeˈsiða/

adjectiveA2general
Use 'desaparecida' when describing something or someone that was missing or gone, indicating a state rather than a sudden action.
A colorful storybook illustration showing a row of six identical, bright blue building blocks sitting on a wooden table. There is a conspicuous empty space where the fourth block should be, illustrating something that is absent.

Examples

La llave de la casa estaba desaparecida, tuvimos que buscarla por toda la sala.

The house key was missing; we had to search for it all over the living room.

Ella regresó después de una semana desaparecida en el bosque.

She returned after a week vanished in the forest.

Agreement is Essential

As an adjective, 'desaparecida' must match the noun it describes in gender (feminine) and number (singular). For a masculine or plural noun, you must change the ending (e.g., 'los documentos desaparecidos').

Mixing Genders

Mistake: “La documento desaparecida.”

Correction: El documento desaparecido. Remember that 'documento' is masculine, even though it ends in 'o'.

desapareció

verbA2general
Use 'desapareció' to describe a specific instance where someone or something vanished suddenly or ceased to exist.

Examples

El mago hizo un truco y el pañuelo desapareció.

The magician did a trick and the handkerchief disappeared.

Adjective vs. Verb

Learners often confuse 'desaparecida' and 'desapareció' by using the adjective when a past tense verb is needed, or vice-versa. Remember, 'desaparecida' describes a state of being missing, while 'desapareció' signifies the action of vanishing.

Related Translations

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