Desanimar Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
desanimar means "to discourage" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows desanimar in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of desanimar, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with desanimar
Something discourages you
Desanimar usually works like gustar: me desanima la derrota means the defeat discourages me. The discouraging thing is the subject, and you are the indirect object.
- Cada día, me desanima la derrota del equipo. — "Every day, the team's defeat discourages me."
- Hoy, le desaniman las malas noticias. — "Today, the bad news discourage him."
- Ayer, me desanimó el mal tiempo. — "Yesterday, the bad weather discouraged me."
- Antes, me desanimaba la falta de apoyo. — "Before, the lack of support used to discourage me."
- Mañana, me desanimará la derrota del equipo. — "Tomorrow, the team's defeat will discourage me."
- Hoy, me han desanimado las malas noticias. — "Today, the bad news have discouraged me."
Losing heart yourself
Desanimar also has a reflexive use: me desanimo means I lose heart. The two structures look similar, but the grammar is different.
- Cada día, me desanima el mal tiempo. — "Every day, the bad weather discourages me."
- Hoy, le desanima la falta de apoyo. — "Today, the lack of support discourages him."
- Ayer, me desanimó la derrota del equipo. — "Yesterday, the team's defeat discouraged me."
- Antes, me desanimaban las malas noticias. — "Before, the bad news used to discourage me."
- Mañana, me desanimará el mal tiempo. — "Tomorrow, the bad weather will discourage me."
- Hoy, me ha desanimado la falta de apoyo. — "Today, the lack of support has discouraged me."
Desanimar in conversation
The two dialogues below show desanimar in natural conversation. The first is about something discourages you, and the second is about losing heart yourself. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Te desanima la derrota del equipo? — "Does the team's defeat discourage you?"
- Sí, me desanima la derrota del equipo mucho. — "The team's defeat discourages me a lot."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Te desanimaron las malas noticias? — "And yesterday? Did the bad news discouraged you?"
- Sí, ayer me desanimaron las malas noticias mucho. — "Yesterday, the bad news discouraged me a lot."
- Mañana me desanimará el mal tiempo también. — "Tomorrow, the bad weather will discourage me. too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Os desanima el mal tiempo? — "Does the bad weather discourage you?"
- Sí, nos desanima el mal tiempo mucho. — "The bad weather discourages us a lot."
- ¿Y a ellos? ¿Les desanima la falta de apoyo? — "And them? Does the lack of support discourage them?"
- Sí, les desanima la falta de apoyo también. — "The lack of support discourages them. too."
- Mañana nos desanimará el mal tiempo otra vez. — "Tomorrow, the bad weather will discourage us. again."
Common mistakes with desanimar in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo desanimo la derrota.
- Right: Me desanima la derrota.
- Why: When something discourages you, desanimar works like gustar: me desanima la derrota. Yo desanimo would mean I discourage someone.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Me desanima las noticias.
- Right: Me desaniman las noticias.
- Why: The verb agrees with the subject. Las noticias is plural, so the verb must be desaniman.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Desanimar es lo mismo que aburrir.
- Right: Desanimar means to discourage; aburrir means to bore.
- Why: Desanimar takes away your motivation and hope. Aburrir takes away your interest. They are different feelings.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, me desanimó la derrota del equipo.
- Right: Cada día, me desanima la derrota del equipo.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo desanimo la derrota del equipo.
- Right: Me desanima la derrota del equipo.
- Why: Desanimar works like gustar: the thing is the subject and you are the indirect object. Do not start the sentence with yo and the verb.
Quiz: desanimar in use
Ten questions on desanimar across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of desanimar in the present tense?
- (a) le desanima
- (b) nos desanima
- (c) me desanima
- (d) te desanima
Answer: (c) me desanima. The i form in the present is me desanima.
2. What is the he / she form of desanimar in the present tense?
- (a) nos desanima
- (b) le desanima
- (c) me desanima
- (d) te desanima
Answer: (b) le desanima. The he / she form in the present is le desanima.
3. What is the he / she form of desanimar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le desanimó
- (b) me desanimó
- (c) te desanimó
- (d) nos desanimó
Answer: (a) le desanimó. The he / she form in the preterite is le desanimó.
4. What is the i form of desanimar in the imperfect tense?
- (a) me desanima
- (b) me desanimó
- (c) me desanimará
- (d) me desanimaba
Answer: (d) me desanimaba. The i form in the imperfect is me desanimaba. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of desanimar in the future tense?
- (a) le desanimará
- (b) nos desanimará
- (c) me desanimará
- (d) te desanimará
Answer: (c) me desanimará. The i form in the future is me desanimará.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) desanimé
- (b) desanimaba
- (c) desanimo
- (d) he desanimado
Answer: (d) he desanimado. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he desanimado.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que te ___ la derrota del equipo.
- (a) desanimaba
- (b) desanime
- (c) desanima
- (d) desanimó
Answer: (b) desanime. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: te desanime. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of desanimar in the present tense?
- (a) me desanima
- (b) te desanima
- (c) le desanima
- (d) nos desanima
Answer: (d) nos desanima. The we form in the present is nos desanima.
9. What is the i form of desanimar in the preterite tense?
- (a) le desanimó
- (b) nos desanimó
- (c) me desanimó
- (d) te desanimó
Answer: (c) me desanimó. The i form in the preterite is me desanimó.
10. What is the they form of desanimar in the present tense?
- (a) le desanima
- (b) les desanima
- (c) me desanima
- (d) te desanima
Answer: (b) les desanima. The they form in the present is les desanima.
Frequently asked questions about desanimar
What is the difference between me desanima and me desanimo?
Me desanima la derrota means the defeat discourages me; the defeat is the subject. Me desanimo means I lose heart; you are the subject.
Is desanimar the opposite of animar?
Yes. Animar encourages and cheers you up; desanimar discourages and takes your motivation away. The grammar of the two verbs is identical.
Is desanimar regular?
Yes. Desanimar is a regular -ar verb: desanimo, desanimaste, desanimaba, desanimaré. The challenge is the sentence structure, not the forms.
How can I practise desanimar?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.