The Spanish verb dejar is a regular verb, so its conjugation follows the pattern of the verbs ending in –ar. This verb has many meanings depending on the situation. It can express permission, abandonment, cessation, or emotional impact. This article gives an overview of the various uses of dejar, providing insights into how it is used in everyday Spanish communication.

The Spanish Verb Dejar

The Spanish verb dejar carries multiple meanings and is widely used in various contexts. Let’s see its most common uses with example sentences.

Dejar (to let go)

Dejar can mean to let go or to let loose.

¡Déjame! Me estás haciendo daño.

Let go! You are hurting me.

¡Déjame ir! No quiero oír ni una palabra más.

Let me go! I don’t want to hear one more word.

Another similar meaning of dejar is to let alone, as in to not bother someone.

Deja a tu primo, que está ocupado.

Don’t bother your cousin, he’s busy.

Deja a tu hermana pequeña, está haciendo los deberes.

Stop bothering your little sister, she’s doing her homework.

Dejar (to let, to allow)

You can also use the Spanish verb dejar to express to let or to allow.

Papá, déjame ir al cine.

Dad, let me go to the movie theater.

Mis padres aún no me dejan ir a la discoteca.

My parents still won’t let me go to the nightclub.

Dejar (to abandon)

Dejar can also mean to abandon.

Simón está deprimido porque su novia lo dejó.

Simón is feeling down because his girlfriend left him.

Se enfadó, me dejó en el bar y no contestó a mis mensajes.

He got angry, left me in the bar, and didn’t answer to my messages.

Dejar de (to stop)

The Spanish verb dejar can be used with de to express to stop doing something.

Deja ya de hablar y empieza a trabajar.

Stop talking now and get to work.

¡Dejad de hacer lo que estáis haciendo y venid a ver esto!

Stop doing what you are doing and come to see this!

Dejar (to lend)

Dejar can also mean to lend something. In this case, in Mexico, prestar is used instead.

¿Me podrías dejar tu vestido rojo para el baile?

Could you lend me your red dress for the ball?

Mi bicicleta es muy vieja, ¿me dejas la tuya?

My bike is very old, can I borrow yours?

Dejar (to put, to leave)

Dejar can be used to indicate to put or to leave something in a place.

Nico, ¡deja ese pastel en la nevera!

Nico, put that cake in the fridge!

Pueden dejar sus abrigos en el guardarropa, por favor.

You can put your coats in the coat check, please.

Dejar (to make a profit)

Dejar can also imply to make a profit.

La empresa le deja millones al año.

With the firm, he makes a profit of millions a year.

La pensión les deja muy poquito dinero al mes.

With the pension, they make very little money each month.

Dejar (to give, to leave)

Dejar can mean to give someone a responsibility.

Dejaron a los niños con la niñera.

They left the kids with the nanny.

¿Te puedo dejar mis plantas mientras estoy de vacaciones?

Can I leave my plants with you while I’m on vacation?

Dejar (to leave an impression)

We can also use dejar to say that a person or event generated a reaction on someone. You should use the indirect object pronoun to indicate who is receiving the reaction.

Me dejó impresionado la noticia de la muerte de Manuel.

I was shocked when I heard the news about Manuel’s death.

Su comportamiento me dejó sin palabras; nunca lo había visto así.

His behavior left me speechless; I had never seen him like that.

Exercises

Here are some exercises to practice the Spanish verb dejar. Feel like doing more exercises? You can also practice the verbs llevar, tratar, quedar or querer.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

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