How to Say "to vanish" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to vanish” is “desaparecer” — use this term for any general disappearance, from something ceasing to be present to someone or something disappearing completely..
desaparecer
deh-sah-pah-reh-SEHR/desapaɾeˈθeɾ/
Examples
El ladrón desapareció entre la multitud.
The thief disappeared into the crowd.
El mago hizo desaparecer la moneda.
The magician made the coin disappear.
Las nubes desaparecieron y salió el sol.
The clouds vanished and the sun came out.
Si no comes rápido, tu helado desaparecerá.
If you don't eat fast, your ice cream will disappear.
The 'zc' Change
This verb is slightly irregular only when the 'yo' form is followed by an 'o' or 'a' sound. The 'c' changes to 'zc' to keep the soft 's' sound: yo desaparezco (present indicative) and all present subjunctive forms (desaparezca, etc.).
Use with 'Hacer'
To say 'to make something disappear,' you use the verb 'hacer' (to make) followed by the infinitive: 'Hizo desaparecer el pastel' (He made the cake disappear).
Forgetting the 'zc'
Mistake: “Yo desapareco.”
Correction: Yo desaparezco. Remember to add the 'z' when conjugating the 'yo' form in the present tense.
desvanecer
/des-bah-neh-SEHR//desβaneˈser/
Examples
La imagen se desvaneció al apagar la televisión.
The image faded when the television was turned off.
El humo se desvaneció lentamente en el aire.
The smoke faded slowly into the air.
Tus palabras desvanecieron todas mis dudas.
Your words dispelled all my doubts.
Con el tiempo, sus esperanzas se desvanecieron.
Over time, their hopes vanished.
The 'ZC' Change
For this verb, when you talk about yourself in the present ('yo'), the 'c' turns into 'zc' (desvanezco). This also happens in all 'wishes and commands' forms (subjunctive).
Using 'Se' for Fading
When an object fades away on its own (like smoke or a dream), you must use the reflexive form 'desvanecerse'.
Missing the 'Se'
Mistake: “El color desvaneció.”
Correction: El color SE desvaneció. (In Spanish, if the color fades by itself, you need the 'se' to show the action is happening to the subject.)
esfumar
es-foo-MAHR/esfuˈmaɾ/
Examples
Sus esperanzas se esfumaron con la mala noticia.
His hopes vanished with the bad news.
Mis ahorros se esfumaron en un mes.
My savings vanished in a month.
El ladrón se esfumó entre la multitud.
The thief slipped away into the crowd.
Tus miedos se esfumarán pronto.
Your fears will fade away soon.
Using 'se' for vanishing
When you want to say someone or something 'vanished,' you must add 'se' to the verb (se esfumó). This makes the action feel like it happened by itself.
Regular AR Pattern
This verb follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar, so it is very predictable to conjugate.
Confusing with 'fumar'
Mistake: “Yo fumo mis llaves.”
Correction: Se esfumaron mis llaves. Use 'fumar' for smoking a cigarette and 'esfumar' for disappearing.
General vs. Specific Disappearance
Related Translations
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