Introduction

desactivar means “to deactivate” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about the alarm — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of desactivar in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. desactivar is a regular -ar verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo desactivo la alarma todos los días.” — “I deactivate the alarm.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive desactivar
English to deactivate
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund desactivando
Past participle desactivado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: desactivando · Past participle: desactivado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo desactivo
tú desactivas
él/ella/Ud. desactiva
nosotros/as desactivamos
vosotros/as desactiváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivo, as in “Yo desactivo la alarma.” — “I deactivate the alarm.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo desactivé
tú desactivaste
él/ella/Ud. desactivó
nosotros/as desactivamos
vosotros/as desactivasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivé, as in “Yo desactivé la alarma.” — “I deactivated the alarm.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo desactivaba
tú desactivabas
él/ella/Ud. desactivaba
nosotros/as desactivábamos
vosotros/as desactivabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivaba, as in “Yo desactivaba la alarma.” — “I used to deactivate the alarm.”

Future

Person Form
yo desactivaré
tú desactivarás
él/ella/Ud. desactivará
nosotros/as desactivaremos
vosotros/as desactivaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivaré, as in “Yo desactivaré la alarma.” — “I will deactivate the alarm.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo desactivaría
tú desactivarías
él/ella/Ud. desactivaría
nosotros/as desactivaríamos
vosotros/as desactivaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivaría, as in “Yo desactivaría la alarma.” — “I would deactivate the alarm.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he desactivado
tú has desactivado
él/ella/Ud. ha desactivado
nosotros/as hemos desactivado
vosotros/as habéis desactivado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han desactivado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For desactivar, the yo form is he desactivado, as in “Yo he desactivado la alarma.” — “I have deactivated the alarm.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había desactivado
tú habías desactivado
él/ella/Ud. había desactivado
nosotros/as habíamos desactivado
vosotros/as habíais desactivado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían desactivado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For desactivar, the yo form is había desactivado, as in “Yo había desactivado la alarma.” — “I had deactivated the alarm.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré desactivado
tú habrás desactivado
él/ella/Ud. habrá desactivado
nosotros/as habremos desactivado
vosotros/as habréis desactivado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán desactivado

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For desactivar, the yo form is habré desactivado, as in “Yo habré desactivado la alarma.” — “I will have deactivated the alarm.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría desactivado
tú habrías desactivado
él/ella/Ud. habría desactivado
nosotros/as habríamos desactivado
vosotros/as habríais desactivado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían desactivado

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For desactivar, the yo form is habría desactivado, as in “Yo habría desactivado la alarma.” — “I would have deactivated the alarm.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo desactive
tú desactives
él/ella/Ud. desactive
nosotros/as desactivemos
vosotros/as desactivéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactiven

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For desactivar, the yo form is desactive, as in “Espero que yo desactive la alarma.” — “I hope that I deactivate the alarm.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo desactivara
tú desactivaras
él/ella/Ud. desactivara
nosotros/as desactiváramos
vosotros/as desactivarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desactivaran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For desactivar, the yo form is desactivara, as in “Si yo desactivara la alarma, ...” — “If I deactivated the alarm, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: desactivara becomes desactivase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú desactiva
Ud. desactive
nosotros/as desactivemos
vosotros/as desactivad
Uds. desactiven

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú desactives
Ud. desactive
nosotros/as desactivemos
vosotros/as desactivéis
Uds. desactiven

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is desactiva, as in “¡Desactiva la alarma” — “Deactivate the alarm” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no desactives. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with desactivar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with desactivar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo desactivo la alarma cada día.” — “I deactivate the alarm.”
  2. “Él desactiva la alarma todos los días.” — “He deactivates the alarm.”
  3. “Yo desactivé la alarma ayer.” — “I deactivated the alarm.”
  4. “Él desactivó la alarma ayer.” — “He deactivated the alarm.”
  5. “Yo desactivaba la alarma cuando era joven.” — “I used to deactivate the alarm.”
  6. “Nosotros desactivaremos la alarma mañana.” — “We will deactivate the alarm.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo desactivaría la alarma.” — “If I could, i would deactivate the alarm.”
  8. “Yo he desactivado la alarma hoy.” — “I have deactivated the alarm.”
  9. “Espero que yo desactive la alarma.” — “I hope that I deactivate the alarm.”
  10. “estoy desactivando la alarma ahora mismo.” — “I am deactivating the alarm.”

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desactivé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desactive — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of desactivar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For desactivar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: desactivamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he desactivado la alarma. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy desactivado is not the present perfect of desactivar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing desactivar with descubrir

desactivar and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of desactivar — deactivate — the sentence needs desactivar; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo desactive la alarma. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desactivo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desactivar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of desactivar in the present?

  • A. desactivas
  • B. desactiva
  • C. desactivamos
  • D. desactivo

2. What is the tu form of desactivar in the preterite?

  • A. desactivamos
  • B. desactivaste
  • C. desactivé
  • D. desactivó

3. What is the el form of desactivar in the imperfect?

  • A. desactivabas
  • B. desactivábamos
  • C. desactivabais
  • D. desactivaba

4. What is the nosotros form of desactivar in the future?

  • A. desactivará
  • B. desactivaremos
  • C. desactivaré
  • D. desactivarás

5. What is the vosotros form of desactivar in the present perfect?

  • A. he desactivado
  • B. has desactivado
  • C. ha desactivado
  • D. habéis desactivado

6. What is the ellos form of desactivar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. desactive
  • B. desactiven
  • C. desactive
  • D. desactives

7. What is the yo form of desactivar in the preterite?

  • A. desactivaste
  • B. desactivó
  • C. desactivamos
  • D. desactivé

8. What is the tu form of desactivar in the imperfect?

  • A. desactivábamos
  • B. desactivabas
  • C. desactivaba
  • D. desactivaba

9. What is the el form of desactivar in the future?

  • A. desactivaré
  • B. desactivarás
  • C. desactivaremos
  • D. desactivará

10. What is the nosotros form of desactivar in the conditional?

  • A. desactivaría
  • B. desactivaríamos
  • C. desactivaría
  • D. desactivarías

Answer key

  1. desactivo — The present table gives yo = desactivo.
  2. desactivaste — The preterite table gives tu = desactivaste.
  3. desactivaba — The imperfect table gives el = desactivaba.
  4. desactivaremos — The future table gives nosotros = desactivaremos.
  5. habéis desactivado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desactivado.
  6. desactiven — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desactiven.
  7. desactivé — The preterite table gives yo = desactivé.
  8. desactivabas — The imperfect table gives tu = desactivabas.
  9. desactivará — The future table gives el = desactivará.
  10. desactivaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desactivaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

Is desactivar regular or irregular?

desactivar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of desactivar?

The past participle of desactivar is desactivado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he desactivado, había desactivado, habré desactivado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund desactivando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of desactivar?

The gerund of desactivar is desactivando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy desactivando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle desactivado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of desactivar in the present?

The yo form is desactivo — “Yo desactivo la alarma.” means “I deactivate the alarm.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú desactivas, él desactiva, nosotros desactivamos, ellos desactivan.

What is the difference between desactivar and descubrir?

desactivar means “to deactivate”, while descubrir means “to discover”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to deactivate”, use desactivar; if it is about the meaning of descubrir, use descubrir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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