Alejar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

alejar means “to move away” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Alejar means to move away, and it is used for moving things and people to a distance: you move a chair away from the table, you move a child away from danger, you keep bad thoughts away. Its reflexive partner alejarse means to move away yourself, as in alejarse de la ciudad. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of alejar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the alejar present tense page.

alejar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with alejar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. — I move away the chair from the table.
  2. Él/Ella aleja al niño del peligro. — He moves away the child from danger.
  3. Nosotros/as alejamos los malos pensamientos. — We move away bad thoughts.
  4. Ellos/as alejan el coche de la acera. — They move away the car from the pavement.

In the past

Four sentences with alejar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo alejé los malos pensamientos. — Yesterday, I moved away bad thoughts.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as alejábamos el coche de la acera. — Before, We used to move away the car from the pavement.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella alejó la silla de la mesa. — Yesterday, He moved away the chair from the table.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as alejaban al niño del peligro. — As children, They used to move away the child from danger.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with alejar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú alejarás la silla de la mesa. — Tomorrow, You will move away the chair from the table.
  2. Yo alejaría al niño del peligro. — I would move away the child from danger.
  3. Espero que él aleje los malos pensamientos. — I hope he moves away bad thoughts.
  4. Él/Ella ha alejado el coche de la acera. — He has moved away the car from the pavement.

alejar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú alejas la silla de la mesa mañana? — Are you going to move away the chair from the table tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo alejo la silla de la mesa todos los días. — Yes, I move away the chair from the table every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana alejarás al niño del peligro? — And tomorrow, will you move away the child from danger? Luis: Claro, mañana alejaré al niño del peligro sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will move away the child from danger without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo alejaré los malos pensamientos también. — Perfect. I will move away bad thoughts too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer alejé los malos pensamientos. — Yesterday, I moved away bad thoughts. Ana: ¿Y antes alejabas el coche de la acera? — And before, did you use to move away the car from the pavement? Luis: Sí, antes alejaba el coche de la acera todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to move away the car from the pavement every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos alejaron la silla de la mesa? — And did your brothers moved away the chair from the table? Luis: Sí, ellos alejaron la silla de la mesa por la tarde. — Yes, they moved away the chair from the table in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo aleja la silla de la mesa. — Right: Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. — The person matters: aleja is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alejo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating alejar and apartar as identical in every context. — Right: Alejar means to move away, while apartar means to move something aside. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alejar fits sentences such as Alejo la silla de la mesa, while apartar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy alejado al niño del peligro. — Right: Yo he alejado al niño del peligro. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he alejado, has alejado, ha alejado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo alejé los malos pensamientos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo alejaba los malos pensamientos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alejaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alejé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on alejar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ el coche de la acera. (present tense) A. alejan B. alejo C. alejas D. aleja

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ la silla de la mesa. (preterite tense) A. alejé B. alejaste C. alejó D. alejamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al niño del peligro. (imperfect tense) A. alejábamos B. alejabais C. alejabas D. alejaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ los malos pensamientos. (future tense) A. alejaremos B. alejará C. alejaré D. alejarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el coche de la acera. (conditional tense) A. alejaríamos B. alejaría C. alejarías D. alejaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ la silla de la mesa. (present-perfect tense) A. has alejado B. ha alejado C. hemos alejado D. he alejado

  7. What does alejar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to move away D. to move something aside

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo alejé los malos pensamientos. B. Yo aleja la silla de la mesa. C. Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. D. Él/Ella aleja al niño del peligro.

  9. Which is the gerund of alejar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alejando B. alejado C. alejo D. alejé

  10. Which is the past participle of alejar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. alejando B. alejo C. alejé D. alejado

Answer key

  1. alejan — The correct form here is alejan.
  2. alejamos — The correct form here is alejamos.
  3. alejabas — The correct form here is alejabas.
  4. alejará — The correct form here is alejará.
  5. alejaríamos — The correct form here is alejaríamos.
  6. he alejado — The correct form here is he alejado.
  7. to move away — Alejar means to move away. Apartar means to move something aside, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo aleja la silla de la mesa. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo alejo la silla de la mesa.. The person matters: aleja is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is alejo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. alejando — The gerund of alejar is alejando: estoy alejando.
  10. alejado — The past participle of alejar is alejado: he alejado, has alejado, ha alejado.

Frequently asked questions

What does alejar mean?

Alejar means to move away. Alejar means to move away, and it is used for moving things and people to a distance: you move a chair away from the table, you move a child away from danger, you keep bad thoughts away. Its reflexive partner alejarse means to move away yourself, as in alejarse de la ciudad.

When do people use alejar most?

People use alejar most in everyday situations such as Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. and Ayer, Yo alejé los malos pensamientos.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between alejar and apartar?

Alejar means to move away, while apartar means to move something aside. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of alejar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of alejar as your reference, the alejar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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