Alejar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of alejar — “to move away” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for alejar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Alejar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Alejo la silla de la mesa.
Present tense conjugation table: alejar
Every person of alejar in the present tense. The gerund is alejando and the past participle is alejado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejo |
| tú | alejas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aleja |
| nosotros/as | alejamos |
| vosotros/as | alejáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejan |
How the present of alejar is formed
The present of alejar is built from the stem alej- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | alejo |
| tú | -as | alejas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | aleja |
| nosotros/as | -amos | alejamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | alejáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | alejan |
For alejar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem alej- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with alejar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. — I move away the chair from the table.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella aleja al niño del peligro. — He moves away the child from danger.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as alejamos los malos pensamientos. — Right now, We move away bad thoughts.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú alejas el coche de la acera. — Tomorrow, You move away the car from the pavement.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella aleja la silla de la mesa. — He moves away the chair from the table.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with alejar.
- Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. — I move away the chair from the table. / Ayer, Yo alejé la silla de la mesa. — Yesterday, I moved away the chair from the table.
- Yo alejo al niño del peligro. — I move away the child from danger. / Ayer, Yo alejé al niño del peligro. — Yesterday, I moved away the child from danger.
- Yo alejo los malos pensamientos. — I move away bad thoughts. / Ayer, Yo alejé los malos pensamientos. — Yesterday, I moved away bad thoughts.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with alejar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo alejo la silla de la mesa. — I move away the chair from the table.
- Tú alejas al niño del peligro. — You move away the child from danger.
- Él/Ella aleja los malos pensamientos. — He moves away bad thoughts.
- Nosotros/as alejamos el coche de la acera. — We move away the car from the pavement.
- Vosotros/as alejáis la silla de la mesa. — You move away the chair from the table.
- Ellos/as alejan al niño del peligro. — They move away the child from danger.
- Yo alejo los malos pensamientos. — I move away bad thoughts.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo alejo al niño del peligro. — Right: Ayer, yo alejé al niño del peligro. — With ayer, use the preterite (alejé), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using alejar where apartar belongs. — Right: Alejar means to move away, while apartar means to move something aside. — Check the meaning before you choose: alejar fits Alejo la silla de la mesa.
- Wrong: Espero que él aleja al niño del peligro. — Right: Espero que él aleje al niño del peligro. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: aleje, not the present indicative aleja.
Quiz: the present tense of alejar
Eight questions on the present tense of alejar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla de la mesa. (present tense, yo) A. alejo B. alejas C. aleja D. alejamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ al niño del peligro. (present tense, tú) A. alejo B. aleja C. alejamos D. alejas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ los malos pensamientos. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. alejas B. alejamos C. aleja D. alejo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el coche de la acera. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. aleja B. alejamos C. alejo D. alejas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la silla de la mesa. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. alejáis B. alejo C. alejas D. aleja
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ al niño del peligro. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. alejo B. alejas C. aleja D. alejan
Which is the gerund of alejar? A. alejo B. alejé C. alejando D. alejado
Which is the past participle of alejar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. alejé B. alejado C. alejando D. alejo
Answer key
- alejo — The yo present form of alejar is alejo.
- alejas — The tú present form of alejar is alejas.
- aleja — The él/ella/Ud. present form of alejar is aleja.
- alejamos — The nosotros/as present form of alejar is alejamos.
- alejáis — The vosotros/as present form of alejar is alejáis.
- alejan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of alejar is alejan.
- alejando — The gerund of alejar is alejando: estoy alejando.
- alejado — The past participle of alejar is alejado: he alejado, has alejado, ha alejado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of alejar formed?
Take the infinitive alejar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem alej-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of alejar is fully regular: the stem alej- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of alejar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Alejo la silla de la mesa.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of alejar?
The present (alejo) and the preterite (alejé) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of alejar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of alejar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the alejar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Alejar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for alejar.
- Alejar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for alejar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.