Deixar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

deixar — to leave — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to leave something behind, and it is completely regular: deixo, deixas, deixa, deixamos, deixais, deixam. Its pretérito perfeito is deixei, deixaste, deixou, and its participle is deixado. Do not confuse it with partir, which means to depart, or with sair, which means to go out. On this page you will find deixar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the deixar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the deixar present tense page.

Example sentences with deixar

In the present tense

  • “Eu deixo o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “I leave the book on the table”
  • “Tu deixas o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “You leave the book on the table”
  • “Ele deixa o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “He leaves the book on the table”
  • “Nós deixamos o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “We leave the book on the table”
  • “Vós deixais o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “You leave the book on the table”
  • “Eles deixam o livro na mesa todos os dias.” — “They leave the book on the table”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu deixei o livro na mesa ontem.” — “I left the book on the table”
  • “Tu deixaste o livro na mesa ontem.” — “You left the book on the table”
  • “Ele deixou o livro na mesa ontem.” — “He left the book on the table”
  • “Nós deixámos o livro na mesa ontem.” — “We left the book on the table”
  • “Vós deixastes o livro na mesa ontem.” — “You left the book on the table”
  • “Eles deixaram o livro na mesa ontem.” — “They left the book on the table”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu deixava o livro na mesa antigamente.” — “I used to leave the book on the table”
  • “Tu deixarás o livro na mesa amanhã.” — “You will leave the book on the table”
  • “Ele deixaria o livro na mesa um dia.” — “He would leave the book on the table”
  • “É importante que nós deixemos o livro na mesa.” — “It is important that we leave the book on the table”
  • “Deixa o livro na mesa!” — “Leave the book on the table!”

How deixar is used

The first thing to know about deixar is its core meaning: to leave. It means to leave something behind, and it is completely regular: deixo, deixas, deixa, deixamos, deixais, deixam. Its pretérito perfeito is deixei, deixaste, deixou, and its participle is deixado. Do not confuse it with partir, which means to depart, or with sair, which means to go out. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company deixar keeps. The present eu form is deixo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho deixado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what deixar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need deixo, never deixar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho deixado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle deixado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Deixar in context

Eu deixo o livro na mesa todos os dias. Tu deixas o livro na mesa todos os dias. Ele deixa o livro na mesa todos os dias. Nós deixamos o livro na mesa todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of deixar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — deixo, deixas, deixa, deixamos — while the meaning stays the same: to leave. Eu deixei o livro na mesa ontem. Tu deixaste o livro na mesa ontem. Ele deixou o livro na mesa ontem. Nós deixámos o livro na mesa ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of deixar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to leave — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu deixar o livro na mesa.”

✓ Right: “Eu deixo o livro na mesa todos os dias.”

The infinitive deixar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form deixo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu deixas o livro na mesa.”

✓ Right: “Eu deixo o livro na mesa todos os dias.”

deixas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is deixo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu deixo o livro na mesa ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu deixei o livro na mesa ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito deixei here, not the present deixo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou deixado o livro na mesa.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho deixado o livro na mesa esta semana.”

deixar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho deixado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on deixar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of deixar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) deixo
    • B) deixas
    • C) deixa
    • D) deixamos

  2. What is the eu form of deixar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens deixado
    • B) tem deixado
    • C) tenho deixado
    • D) temos deixado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of deixar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) deixavas
    • B) deixávamos
    • C) deixáveis
    • D) deixava

  4. What is the nós form of deixar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) deixaremos
    • B) deixarei
    • C) deixarás
    • D) deixará

  5. What is the tu form of deixar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) deixaria
    • B) deixarias
    • C) deixaríamos
    • D) deixaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of deixar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) deixaras
    • B) deixáramos
    • C) deixara
    • D) deixáreis

  7. What is the nós form of deixar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) deixe
    • B) deixes
    • C) deixeis
    • D) deixemos

  8. What is the gerund of deixar?

    • A) deixando
    • B) deixado
    • C) deixar
    • D) deixo

  9. What is the past participle of deixar?

    • A) deixando
    • B) deixado
    • C) deixar
    • D) deixo

  10. What does deixar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to leave
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) deixas — the correct form is deixas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho deixado — the correct form is tenho deixado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) deixava — the correct form is deixava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) deixaremos — the correct form is deixaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) deixarias — the correct form is deixarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) deixara — the correct form is deixara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) deixemos — the correct form is deixemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) deixando — the correct form is deixando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) deixado — the correct form is deixado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to leave — the correct form is to leave. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does deixar mean in English?

deixar means “to leave”. You use it whenever you talk about to leave in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is deixar regular or irregular?

deixar is regular. deixar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of deixar?

The gerund is deixando and the past participle is deixado. The perfect tenses use ter + deixado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of deixar?

On the deixar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The deixar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for deixar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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