Inklingo

How to Say "to vacate" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “to vacate” is “desalojar” — use 'desalojar' when you need to make people leave a place, such as evicting tenants from a property or clearing out a building.

English → Spanish

desalojar

deh-sah-lo-HARdesaloˈxaɾ

verbB1general
Use 'desalojar' when you need to make people leave a place, such as evicting tenants from a property or clearing out a building.
A sad person standing on a sidewalk next to a stack of packed cardboard boxes and a small lamp, looking back at a closed house door.

Examples

El hotel tuvo que desalojar a los huéspedes debido a una emergencia.

The hotel had to vacate the guests due to an emergency.

El dueño tuvo que desalojar a los inquilinos porque no pagaban el alquiler.

The owner had to evict the tenants because they weren't paying the rent.

La policía desalojó el edificio tras la amenaza de bomba.

The police cleared out the building after the bomb threat.

Es obligatorio desalojar la sala antes de las diez de la noche.

It is mandatory to vacate the room before ten at night.

Using the 'Personal A'

When you are evicting a person, you must use 'a' before their name or the person word, like 'desalojar a los vecinos'.

A Regular -ar Verb

Good news! This verb follows the standard pattern for all -ar verbs, so once you know the basic endings, you can conjugate this perfectly.

Confusing with 'Evacuar'

Mistake: “Using 'evacuar' for a legal eviction.”

Correction: Use 'desalojar' for legal removals. 'Evacuar' is mostly for safety/emergencies like fires or floods.

liberar

lee-beh-RAHRliβeˈɾaɾ

verbB2general
Use 'liberar' when you are vacating a space or resource, like freeing up memory on a device or clearing a desk.
A hand lifting a stack of colorful books off a wooden shelf, creating a large, clear area of empty space.

Examples

Desinstalé aplicaciones innecesarias para liberar espacio en mi móvil.

I uninstalled unnecessary apps to free up space on my phone.

Borré muchos archivos para liberar espacio en mi teléfono.

I deleted a lot of files to free up space on my phone.

Si terminamos temprano, podemos liberar tiempo para otras tareas.

If we finish early, we can free up time for other tasks.

Necesitamos liberar la mesa para la próxima reunión.

We need to clear the table for the next meeting.

Using the Infinitive

It is very common to use 'liberar' right after a verb of necessity (like 'necesitar' or 'querer') combined with the preposition 'para' (in order to): 'Quiero liberar espacio.'

Vacating People vs. Vacating Space

The most common mistake is confusing 'desalojar' (to force people out) with 'liberar' (to free up space or a place). Remember, 'desalojar' involves people being removed, often against their will, while 'liberar' is about making an area or resource available.

Related Translations

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