Alejarse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Alejarse means “to move away”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Alejarse means to move away, and it is used for stepping back from a place, a person or a situation, literally and figuratively. It is always used with de, as in alejarse de la ciudad or alejarse del peligro, and it is fully regular. This page shows alejarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” — I move away from the city little by little.
Alejarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how alejarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use alejarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” — I move away from the city little by little.
“¿Tú te alejas del peligro sin hacer ruido?” — Do you move away from danger without making a noise?
“Se aleja de la ventana para no ver.” — He/she moves away from the window so as not to see.
“Nos alejamos de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — We move away from his friends after the argument.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show alejarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me alejé de la ciudad poco a poco.” — Yesterday, I moved away from the city little by little. (preterite)
“Él se alejaba del peligro sin hacer ruido todos los días.” — He used to move away from danger without making a noise every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of alejarse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos alejaremos de la ventana para no ver mañana.” — We will move away from the window so as not to see tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has alejado de sus amigos tras la pelea?” — Have you moved away from his friends after the argument? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os alejáis de la ciudad poco a poco.” — You move away from the city little by little.
“Se alejan del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — They move away from danger without making a noise.
“Me alejo de la ventana para no ver.” — I move away from the window so as not to see.
“Se aleja de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — He/she moves away from his friends after the argument.
Alejarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how alejarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te alejas de la ciudad poco a poco?” — Do you move away from the city little by little?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” — Yes, I move away from the city little by little.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos alejamos del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — We move away from danger without making a noise.
Carlos: “Y ellos se alejan de la ventana para no ver.” — And they move away from the window so as not to see.
Lucía: “Vosotros os alejáis de sus amigos tras la pelea.” — You move away from his friends after the argument.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se aleja del peligro sin hacer ruido.” — Yes, and he moves away from danger without making a noise.
A short paragraph
Lucía se aleja de la ciudad poco a poco, y Carlos se aleja del peligro sin hacer ruido. Nosotros nos alejamos de la ventana para no ver, y ellos se alejan de sus amigos tras la pelea. Yo me alejo de la ventana para no ver, y mi padre se aleja de sus amigos tras la pelea. Alejarse is part of everyday life, because to move away is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with alejarse
These are the errors learners actually make with alejarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” Right: “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” Why: Alejarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo alejo del peligro sin hacer ruido.” Right: “Ayer yo alejé del peligro sin hacer ruido.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: alejo is happening now, while alejé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating alejarse and acercarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Alejarse means to move away, while acercarse means to approach.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: alejarse fits sentences such as Me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco, while acercarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy alejado del peligro sin hacer ruido.” Right: “Yo he alejado del peligro sin hacer ruido.” Why: 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 de la ventana para no ver todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo alejaba de la ventana para no ver todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (alejaba), not the preterite. The preterite (alejé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: alejarse in use
Ten questions on alejarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ de la ciudad poco a poco.” (From the city little by little.)
- (a) os alejáis
- (b) me alejo
- (c) te alejas
Answer: os alejáis — The vosotros/as form of alejarse in the present is os alejáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ del peligro sin hacer ruido.” (From danger without making a noise.)
- (a) me alejo
- (b) te alejas
- (c) se alejan
Answer: se alejan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of alejarse in the present is se alejan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ de la ciudad poco a poco.” (From the city little by little.)
- (a) se alejó
- (b) me alejé
- (c) te alejaste
Answer: me alejé — The yo form of alejarse in the preterite is me alejé.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ del peligro sin hacer ruido.” (From danger without making a noise.)
- (a) se alejaba
- (b) me alejaba
- (c) te alejabas
Answer: se alejaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of alejarse in the imperfect is se alejaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ de la ventana para no ver.” (From the window so as not to see.)
- (a) me alejaré
- (b) te alejarás
- (c) nos alejaremos
Answer: nos alejaremos — The nosotros/as form of alejarse in the future is nos alejaremos.
6. What does alejarse mean in English?
- (a) to leave, to go away
- (b) to move away
- (c) to approach
Answer: to move away — Alejarse means “to move away”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.
- (b) Ellos aleja de la ciudad poco a poco.
- (c) Yo me alejo del peligro sin hacer ruido ayer.
Answer: Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco. — “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I move away from the city little by little.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se alejan de la ciudad poco a poco.
- (b) Yo me alejé de la ciudad poco a poco.
- (c) Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.
Answer: Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco. — “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of alejarse in the present tense?
- (a) te alejas
- (b) nos alejamos
- (c) me alejo
Answer: nos alejamos — The nosotros form is nos alejamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me alejé de la ciudad poco a poco.
- (b) Nosotros nos alejaremos de la ciudad poco a poco mañana.
- (c) Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.
Answer: Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco. — “Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I move away' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco todos los días'.
How do you say 'I move away' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me alejé del peligro sin hacer ruido'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me alejaba del peligro sin hacer ruido todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he alejado del peligro sin hacer ruido'.
What is the difference between alejarse and acercarse?
Alejarse means to move away, while acercarse means to approach. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use alejarse when you mean to move away, as in Me alejo de la ciudad poco a poco.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of alejarse — every tense of alejarse in one place.
- Alejarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on alejarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of alejarse until they are automatic.