Alejar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb alejar means to move away, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, alejar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say alejo la silla de la mesa, and in the preterite you say alejé los malos pensamientos. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: alejar
- English: to move away
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: alejando
- Past participle: alejado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + alejado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for alejar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Alejar is fully regular: alejé, alejaba, alejaré. To move away yourself, use the reflexive alejarse with de.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for alejar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejo |
| tú | alejas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aleja |
| nosotros/as | alejamos |
| vosotros/as | alejáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejé |
| tú | alejaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | alejó |
| nosotros/as | alejamos |
| vosotros/as | alejasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejaba |
| tú | alejabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | alejaba |
| nosotros/as | alejábamos |
| vosotros/as | alejabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejaré |
| tú | alejarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | alejará |
| nosotros/as | alejaremos |
| vosotros/as | alejaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejaría |
| tú | alejarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | alejaría |
| nosotros/as | alejaríamos |
| vosotros/as | alejaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he alejado |
| tú | has alejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha alejado |
| nosotros/as | hemos alejado |
| vosotros/as | habéis alejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han alejado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había alejado |
| tú | habías alejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había alejado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos alejado |
| vosotros/as | habíais alejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían alejado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré alejado |
| tú | habrás alejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá alejado |
| nosotros/as | habremos alejado |
| vosotros/as | habréis alejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán alejado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría alejado |
| tú | habrías alejado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría alejado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos alejado |
| vosotros/as | habríais alejado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían alejado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aleje |
| tú | alejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aleje |
| nosotros/as | alejemos |
| vosotros/as | alejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | alejara |
| tú | alejaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | alejara |
| nosotros/as | alejáramos |
| vosotros/as | alejarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aleja |
| él/ella/Ud. | aleje |
| nosotros/as | alejemos |
| vosotros/as | alejad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | alejes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aleje |
| nosotros/as | alejemos |
| vosotros/as | alejéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | alejen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | alejando | with estar for the progressive: estoy alejando |
| Past participle | alejado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he alejado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Alejo la silla de la mesa. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, alejé al niño del peligro. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, alejaba los malos pensamientos. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, alejaré el coche de la acera. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Alejaría la silla de la mesa si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he alejado al niño del peligro. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había alejado los malos pensamientos antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré alejado el coche de la acera. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría alejado la silla de la mesa con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él aleje al niño del peligro. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él alejara los malos pensamientos, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡aleja el coche de la acera! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For alejar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No alejes la silla de la mesa. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with alejar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Alejo la silla de la mesa. — I move away the chair from the table.
- Aleja al niño del peligro. — He/she moves away the child from danger.
- Ayer, alejé los malos pensamientos. — Yesterday, I moved away bad thoughts.
- Antes, nosotros alejábamos el coche de la acera. — Before, we used to move away the car from the pavement.
- Mañana, tú alejarás la silla de la mesa. — Tomorrow, you will move away the chair from the table.
- Yo alejaría al niño del peligro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would move away the child from danger if I had more time.
- Él ha alejado los malos pensamientos. — He has moved away bad thoughts.
- Espero que él aleje el coche de la acera. — I hope he moves away the car from the pavement.
- Yo ya había alejado la silla de la mesa antes de salir. — I had already moved away the chair from the table before leaving.
- Ellos alejaban al niño del peligro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to move away the child from danger when they were young.
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. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla de la mesa. (present tense) A. alejo B. alejas C. aleja D. alejamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al niño del peligro. (preterite) A. alejé B. alejaste C. alejaron D. alejó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los malos pensamientos. (imperfect) A. alejabas B. alejaban C. alejábamos D. alejaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el coche de la acera. (future) A. alejaremos B. alejarás C. alejaré D. alejará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la silla de la mesa si pudiera. (conditional) A. alejaría B. alejarías C. alejarían D. alejo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al niño del peligro. (present subjunctive) A. alejes B. alejemos C. alejo D. aleje
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los malos pensamientos, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. alejáramos B. alejo C. alejara D. alejaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el coche de la acera. (present perfect) A. han alejado B. hemos alejado C. he alejado D. has alejado
Complete the command: ¡___ la silla de la mesa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. aleja B. aleje C. alejemos D. alejad
Which is the gerund of alejar, used with estar for the progressive? A. alejado B. alejo C. alejé D. alejando
Answer key
- alejo — The first-person present of alejar is alejo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- alejó — The third-person preterite of alejar is alejó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- alejábamos — The nosotros imperfect of alejar is alejábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- alejarás — The second-person future of alejar is alejarás.
- alejaría — The first-person conditional of alejar is alejaría, the form for what would happen.
- aleje — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of alejar is aleje.
- alejara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of alejar is alejara.
- hemos alejado — The nosotros present perfect of alejar is hemos alejado: hemos + alejado.
- aleja — The affirmative tú imperative of alejar is aleja.
- alejando — The gerund of alejar is alejando: estoy alejando. The participle alejado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does alejar mean in English?
Alejar means to move away. It is used in everyday situations such as Alejo la silla de la mesa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is alejar regular or irregular?
Alejar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including alejo in the present and alejé in the preterite.
What is the difference between alejar and apartar?
Alejar means to move away, while apartar means to move something aside. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use alejar when you mean to move away, as in Alejo la silla de la mesa, and use apartar for to move something aside. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I move away” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo alejé al niño del peligro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo alejaba los malos pensamientos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he alejado al niño del peligro.
How do I practise alejar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the alejar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Alejar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for alejar.
- Alejar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for alejar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Alfabetizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alejar.
- Ahogar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alejar.
- Aliviar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with alejar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.