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How to Say "rejected" in Spanish

English → Spanish

rechazado

reh-chah-ZAH-doh/retʃaˈθaðo/

AdjectiveB1General
Use 'rechazado' when describing something or someone that has been officially turned down, not accepted, or disapproved of, functioning like an adjective.
A piece of white paper resting on a wooden desk, marked prominently with a large, bright red 'X', signifying denial or rejection.

Examples

Su solicitud de visa fue rechazada por falta de documentos.

His visa application was rejected due to a lack of documents.

Se sintió rechazado después de la entrevista de trabajo.

He felt rejected after the job interview.

La propuesta rechazada será revisada la próxima semana.

The rejected proposal will be reviewed next week.

Ya hemos rechazado esa oferta varias veces.

We have already rejected that offer several times.

Agreement Rule

Like all Spanish adjectives, 'rechazado' must change its ending to match the thing it describes. Use 'rechazada' for feminine singular nouns (e.g., 'la idea rechazada') and 'rechazados' or 'rechazadas' for plural nouns.

Spelling Change Alert

The root verb 'rechazar' is regular, but when the 'z' comes before an 'e' (like in the Preterite 'yo' form or the entire Subjunctive), it changes to a 'c' (e.g., 'rechacé' or 'rechaces') to keep the correct sound.

Forming Perfect Tenses

The past participle 'rechazado' is always used with the verb 'haber' to form perfect tenses: 'He rechazado' (I have rejected), 'Había rechazado' (I had rejected).

Participle Agreement with Haber

Mistake:Hemos rechazados la oferta.

Correction: Hemos rechazado la oferta. (When used with 'haber' for compound tenses, the participle never changes its ending.)

rechazado

reh-chah-ZAH-doh/retʃaˈθaðo/

Past ParticipleA2General
Use 'rechazado' as the past participle when forming compound tenses with 'haber' or the passive voice with 'ser' to indicate an action of rejecting that has been completed.
A piece of white paper resting on a wooden desk, marked prominently with a large, bright red 'X', signifying denial or rejection.

Examples

Ya hemos rechazado esa oferta varias veces.

We have already rejected that offer several times.

Su solicitud de visa fue rechazada por falta de documentos.

His visa application was rejected due to a lack of documents.

Se sintió rechazado después de la entrevista de trabajo.

He felt rejected after the job interview.

La propuesta rechazada será revisada la próxima semana.

The rejected proposal will be reviewed next week.

Agreement Rule

Like all Spanish adjectives, 'rechazado' must change its ending to match the thing it describes. Use 'rechazada' for feminine singular nouns (e.g., 'la idea rechazada') and 'rechazados' or 'rechazadas' for plural nouns.

Spelling Change Alert

The root verb 'rechazar' is regular, but when the 'z' comes before an 'e' (like in the Preterite 'yo' form or the entire Subjunctive), it changes to a 'c' (e.g., 'rechacé' or 'rechaces') to keep the correct sound.

Forming Perfect Tenses

The past participle 'rechazado' is always used with the verb 'haber' to form perfect tenses: 'He rechazado' (I have rejected), 'Había rechazado' (I had rejected).

Participle Agreement with Haber

Mistake:Hemos rechazados la oferta.

Correction: Hemos rechazado la oferta. (When used with 'haber' for compound tenses, the participle never changes its ending.)

VerbB1General
Use 'rechazó' (the preterite tense of 'rechazar') when you want to say that someone actively refused or turned down an idea, offer, or person in a specific past instance.

Examples

El director rechazó el plan porque era muy caro.

The director rejected the plan because it was very expensive.

Adjective vs. Verb Form

Learners often confuse when to use 'rechazado' as an adjective versus 'rechazó' as a verb. Remember that 'rechazado' describes a state (like 'is rejected'), while 'rechazó' is a past action of rejecting something.

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