Desaparecer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb desaparecer means to disappear, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Desaparecer means to disappear, and it covers a person vanishing, money disappearing from a box and a name dropping off a list. It is the opposite of aparecer, and it is a -cer spelling-change verb like aparecer. Like every Spanish verb, desaparecer changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro, and in the preterite you say desaparecí el dinero de la caja. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: desaparecer
  • English: to disappear
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: desapareciendo
  • Past participle: desaparecido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desaparecido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desaparecer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes zc before o and a, so yo desaparezco and the subjunctive desaparezca.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desaparecer. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo desaparezco
tú desapareces
él/ella/Ud. desaparece
nosotros/as desaparecemos
vosotros/as desaparecéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecen

Preterite

Person Form
yo desaparecí
tú desapareciste
él/ella/Ud. desapareció
nosotros/as desaparecimos
vosotros/as desaparecisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo desaparecía
tú desaparecías
él/ella/Ud. desaparecía
nosotros/as desaparecíamos
vosotros/as desaparecíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecían

Future

Person Form
yo desapareceré
tú desaparecerás
él/ella/Ud. desaparecerá
nosotros/as desapareceremos
vosotros/as desapareceréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo desaparecería
tú desaparecerías
él/ella/Ud. desaparecería
nosotros/as desapareceríamos
vosotros/as desapareceríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo desaparezca
tú desaparezcas
él/ella/Ud. desaparezca
nosotros/as desaparezcamos
vosotros/as desaparecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparezcan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo desapareciera
tú desaparecieras
él/ella/Ud. desapareciera
nosotros/as desapareciéramos
vosotros/as desaparecierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparecieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú desaparece
él/ella/Ud. desaparezca
nosotros/as desaparezcamos
vosotros/as desapareced
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparezcan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú desaparezcas
él/ella/Ud. desaparezca
nosotros/as desaparezcamos
vosotros/as desaparecáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. desaparezcan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund desapareciendo with estar for the progressive: estoy desapareciendo
Past participle desaparecido with haber for the perfect tenses: he desaparecido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For desaparecer, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, desaparecí de la lista de invitados. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, desaparecía el dinero de la caja. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, desapareceré en la niebla del bosque. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Desaparecería de repente sin dejar rastro si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he desaparecido de la lista de invitados. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había desaparecido el dinero de la caja antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré desaparecido en la niebla del bosque. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría desaparecido de repente sin dejar rastro con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For desaparecer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él desaparezca de la lista de invitados. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desaparecer, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él desapareciera el dinero de la caja, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For desaparecer, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Desaparece en la niebla del bosque! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: c becomes zc before o and a, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For desaparecer, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No desaparezcas de repente sin dejar rastro. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with desaparecer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro. — I disappear suddenly without a trace.
  2. Desaparece de la lista de invitados. — He/she disappears from the guest list.
  3. Ayer, desaparecí el dinero de la caja. — Yesterday, I disappeared the money from the box.
  4. Antes, nosotros desaparecíamos en la niebla del bosque. — Before, we used to disappear in the forest mist.
  5. Mañana, tú desaparecerás de repente sin dejar rastro. — Tomorrow, you will disappear suddenly without a trace.
  6. Yo desaparecería de la lista de invitados si tuviera más tiempo. — I would disappear from the guest list if I had more time.
  7. Él ha desaparecido el dinero de la caja. — He has disappeared the money from the box.
  8. Espero que él desaparezca en la niebla del bosque. — I hope he disappears in the forest mist.
  9. Yo ya había desaparecido de repente sin dejar rastro antes de salir. — I had already disappeared suddenly without a trace before leaving.
  10. Ellos desaparecían de la lista de invitados cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to disappear from the guest list when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo desaparece de repente sin dejar rastro. — Right: Yo desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro. — The person matters: desaparece is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is desaparezco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo desapareco de la lista de invitados. — Right: Yo desaparezco de la lista de invitados. — In the present, the correct first-person form is desaparezco, not desapareco. desaparecer is a spelling-change verb: c becomes zc before o and a, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating desaparecer and aparecer as identical in every context. — Right: Desaparecer means to disappear, while aparecer means to appear, its opposite. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: desaparecer fits sentences such as Desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro, while aparecer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy desaparecido de la lista de invitados. — Right: Yo he desaparecido de la lista de invitados. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he desaparecido, has desaparecido, ha desaparecido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo desaparecí el dinero de la caja todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo desaparecía el dinero de la caja todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desaparecía), not the preterite. The preterite (desaparecí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on desaparecer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de repente sin dejar rastro. (present tense) A. desaparezco B. desapareces C. desaparece D. desaparecemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de la lista de invitados. (preterite) A. desaparecí B. desapareciste C. desaparecieron D. desapareció

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el dinero de la caja. (imperfect) A. desaparecías B. desaparecían C. desaparecíamos D. desaparecía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en la niebla del bosque. (future) A. desapareceremos B. desaparecerás C. desapareceré D. desaparecerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de repente sin dejar rastro si pudiera. (conditional) A. desaparecería B. desaparecerías C. desaparecerían D. desaparezco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de la lista de invitados. (present subjunctive) A. desaparezcas B. desaparezcamos C. desaparezco D. desaparezca

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el dinero de la caja, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. desapareciéramos B. desaparezco C. desapareciera D. desaparecieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en la niebla del bosque. (present perfect) A. han desaparecido B. hemos desaparecido C. he desaparecido D. has desaparecido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ de repente sin dejar rastro! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. desaparece B. desaparezca C. desaparezcamos D. desapareced

  10. Which is the gerund of desaparecer, used with estar for the progressive? A. desaparecido B. desaparezco C. desaparecí D. desapareciendo

Answer key

  1. desaparezco — The first-person present of desaparecer is desaparezco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. desapareció — The third-person preterite of desaparecer is desapareció, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. desaparecíamos — The nosotros imperfect of desaparecer is desaparecíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. desaparecerás — The second-person future of desaparecer is desaparecerás.
  5. desaparecería — The first-person conditional of desaparecer is desaparecería, the form for what would happen.
  6. desaparezca — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of desaparecer is desaparezca.
  7. desapareciera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of desaparecer is desapareciera.
  8. hemos desaparecido — The nosotros present perfect of desaparecer is hemos desaparecido: hemos + desaparecido.
  9. desaparece — The affirmative tú imperative of desaparecer is desaparece.
  10. desapareciendo — The gerund of desaparecer is desapareciendo: estoy desapareciendo. The participle desaparecido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does desaparecer mean in English?

Desaparecer means to disappear. It is used in everyday situations such as Desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is desaparecer regular or irregular?

Desaparecer is a fully regular -er verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including desaparezco in the present and desaparecí in the preterite.

What is the difference between desaparecer and aparecer?

Desaparecer means to disappear, while aparecer means to appear, its opposite. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use desaparecer when you mean to disappear, as in Desaparezco de repente sin dejar rastro, and use aparecer for to appear, its opposite. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I disappear” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo desaparecí de la lista de invitados. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo desaparecía el dinero de la caja. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he desaparecido de la lista de invitados.

How do I practise desaparecer?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the desaparecer examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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