Dejar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

dejar — to leave — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Dejar means to leave, to let, to allow, and to stop: dejar la casa, dejar pasar, dejar de fumar. It is regular. The difference from salir matters: dejar is to leave something behind, salir is to go out. Dejar + infinitive means to let someone do something. On this page you will find dejar 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.

Example sentences with dejar

In the present tense

  • “Yo dejo las llaves en la mesa.” — “I leave the keys on the table.”
  • “Ella deja entrar a los niños.” — “She lets the children in.”
  • “Nosotros dejamos el coche en el garaje.” — “We leave the car in the garage.”
  • “Ellos dejan sus mochilas en clase.” — “They leave their backpacks in class.”
  • “¿Tú dejas que te ayude?” — “Will you let me help you?”
  • “Vosotros dejáis de fumar este año.” — “You are giving up smoking this year.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo dejé el libro en casa.” — “Yesterday I left the book at home.”
  • “Ella dejó a los niños con su abuela.” — “She left the children with their grandmother.”
  • “Nosotros dejamos el trabajo a las seis.” — “We left work at six.”
  • “Ellos dejaron una nota en la puerta.” — “They left a note on the door.”
  • “¿Tú dejaste las luces encendidas?” — “Did you leave the lights on?”
  • “El profesor dejó salir antes a los alumnos.” — “The teacher let the students leave early.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo dejaba las llaves en la mesa en casa.” — “As a child, I used to leave the keys on the table at home.”
  • “Mañana, yo dejaré las llaves en la mesa en casa.” — “Tomorrow, I will leave the keys on the table at home.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo dejaría las llaves en la mesa en casa.” — “If I could, I would leave the keys on the table at home.”
  • “Yo he dejado las llaves en la mesa en casa.” — “I have left the keys on the table at home.”

Dejar in context

Cada día, yo dejo las llaves en la mesa en casa. Mi amigo también deja las llaves en la mesa en casa cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo dejo las llaves en la mesa de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de dejar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo dejé las llaves en la mesa en casa. Mi amigo dejó las llaves en la mesa en casa también, y por la noche yo dejé las llaves en la mesa otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de dejar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with dejar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo dejo de fumar — learners confuse dejar de with dejar.

Right: Yo dejo de fumar.

Dejar de + infinitive means to stop; dejar alone means to leave or let.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Salir dejar la casa — mixing salir and dejar.

Right: Yo dejo la casa a las ocho.

To leave a place behind, use dejar; salir is to go out of it.

Quiz: dejar in everyday use

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

1. What is the yo form of dejar in the present tense?

  • A) dejo
  • B) dejas
  • C) deja
  • D) dejamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is dejo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of dejar in the present tense?

  • A) dejo
  • B) dejas
  • C) dejamos
  • D) deja

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is deja.

3. What is the yo form of dejar in the preterite?

  • A) dejó
  • B) dejamos
  • C) dejé
  • D) dejaste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is dejé.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dejar in the preterite?

  • A) dejó
  • B) dejaron
  • C) dejé
  • D) dejaste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is dejaron.

5. What is the yo form of dejar in the imperfect?

  • A) dejaba
  • B) dejabas
  • C) dejaba
  • D) dejábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is dejaba.

6. What is the tú form of dejar in the future?

  • A) dejaré
  • B) dejará
  • C) dejaremos
  • D) dejarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is dejarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of dejar in the conditional?

  • A) dejarías
  • B) dejaríamos
  • C) dejaría
  • D) dejaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is dejaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of dejar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha dejado
  • B) hemos dejado
  • C) he dejado
  • D) has dejado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos dejado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ las llaves en la mesa.” (I leave the keys on the table.)

  • A) dejo
  • B) dejas
  • C) deja
  • D) dejamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs dejo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo dejo de fumar.
  • B) Yo dejo de fumar — learners confuse dejar de with dejar.

Answer: A — Dejar de + infinitive means to stop; dejar alone means to leave or let.

Frequently asked questions

What does dejar mean?

dejar means “to leave” in English. Dejar means to leave, to let, to allow, and to stop: dejar la casa, dejar pasar, dejar de fumar. It is regular. The difference from salir matters: dejar is to leave something behind, salir is to go out. Dejar + infinitive means to let someone do something.

Is dejar regular?

Yes. dejar is a regular -ar verb, so its forms follow the standard endings in every tense. That makes it a good verb to learn early — once you know the endings, you know the verb.

When do I use dejar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — dejé, dejaste, dejó — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — dejaba, dejabas, dejaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to dejar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise dejar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Dejar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for dejar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo dejo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo dejé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo dejaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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