Desconectar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Desconectar means “to disconnect”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Desconectar means to disconnect, and it is used for disconnecting a device, switching off from work and taking a break from the internet. It is the opposite of conectar, and it is fully regular. This page shows desconectar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” — I disconnect the phone at night.
Desconectar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desconectar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use desconectar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Desconecto el móvil por la noche.” — I disconnect the phone at night.
“¿Tú desconectas del trabajo el fin de semana?” — Do you disconnect from work at the weekend?
“Desconecta el ordenador al salir.” — He/she disconnects the computer on leaving.
“Desconectamos de todo en vacaciones.” — We disconnect from everything on holiday.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show desconectar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo desconecté el móvil por la noche.” — Yesterday, I disconnected the phone at night. (preterite)
“Él desconectaba del trabajo el fin de semana todos los días.” — He used to disconnect from work at the weekend every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of desconectar stays the same.
“Nosotros desconectaremos el ordenador al salir mañana.” — We will disconnect the computer on leaving tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has desconectado de todo en vacaciones?” — Have you disconnected from everything on holiday? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Desconectáis el móvil por la noche.” — You disconnect the phone at night.
“Desconectan del trabajo el fin de semana.” — They disconnect from work at the weekend.
“Desconecto el ordenador al salir.” — I disconnect the computer on leaving.
“Desconecta de todo en vacaciones.” — He/she disconnects from everything on holiday.
Desconectar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how desconectar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú desconectas el móvil por la noche?” — Do you disconnect the phone at night?
Carlos: “Sí, yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” — Yes, I disconnect the phone at night.
Lucía: “Nosotros desconectamos del trabajo el fin de semana.” — We disconnect from work at the weekend.
Carlos: “Y ellos desconectan el ordenador al salir.” — And they disconnect the computer on leaving.
Lucía: “Vosotros desconectáis de todo en vacaciones.” — You disconnect from everything on holiday.
Carlos: “Sí, y él desconecta del trabajo el fin de semana.” — Yes, and he disconnects from work at the weekend.
A short paragraph
Lucía desconecta el móvil por la noche, y Carlos desconecta del trabajo el fin de semana. Nosotros desconectamos el ordenador al salir, y ellos desconectan de todo en vacaciones. Yo desconecto el ordenador al salir, y mi padre desconecta de todo en vacaciones. Desconectar is part of everyday life, because to disconnect is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with desconectar
These are the errors learners actually make with desconectar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo desconecta el móvil por la noche.” Right: “Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” Why: The person matters: desconecta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is desconecto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo desconecto del trabajo el fin de semana.” Right: “Ayer yo desconecté del trabajo el fin de semana.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: desconecto is happening now, while desconecté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating desconectar and conectar as identical in every context.” Right: “Desconectar means to disconnect, while conectar means to connect.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: desconectar fits sentences such as Desconecto el móvil por la noche, while conectar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy desconectado del trabajo el fin de semana.” Right: “Yo he desconectado del trabajo el fin de semana.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he desconectado, has desconectado, ha desconectado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo desconecté el ordenador al salir todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo desconectaba el ordenador al salir todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desconectaba), not the preterite. The preterite (desconecté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: desconectar in use
Ten questions on desconectar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el móvil por la noche.” (The phone at night.)
- (a) desconectáis
- (b) desconecto
- (c) desconectas
Answer: desconectáis — The vosotros/as form of desconectar in the present is desconectáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ del trabajo el fin de semana.” (From work at the weekend.)
- (a) desconecto
- (b) desconectas
- (c) desconectan
Answer: desconectan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of desconectar in the present is desconectan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el móvil por la noche.” (The phone at night.)
- (a) desconectó
- (b) desconecté
- (c) desconectaste
Answer: desconecté — The yo form of desconectar in the preterite is desconecté.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ del trabajo el fin de semana.” (From work at the weekend.)
- (a) desconectaba
- (b) desconectabas
- (c) desconectábamos
Answer: desconectaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of desconectar in the imperfect is desconectaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el ordenador al salir.” (The computer on leaving.)
- (a) desconectaré
- (b) desconectarás
- (c) desconectaremos
Answer: desconectaremos — The nosotros/as form of desconectar in the future is desconectaremos.
6. What does desconectar mean in English?
- (a) to unplug
- (b) to disconnect
- (c) to connect
Answer: to disconnect — Desconectar means “to disconnect”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.
- (b) Ellos desconecta el móvil por la noche.
- (c) Yo desconecto del trabajo el fin de semana ayer.
Answer: Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche. — “Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I disconnect the phone at night.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo desconectan el móvil por la noche.
- (b) Yo desconecté el móvil por la noche.
- (c) Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.
Answer: Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche. — “Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of desconectar in the present tense?
- (a) desconectas
- (b) desconectamos
- (c) desconecto
Answer: desconectamos — The nosotros form is desconectamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo desconecté el móvil por la noche.
- (b) Nosotros desconectaremos el móvil por la noche mañana.
- (c) Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.
Answer: Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche. — “Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I disconnect' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo desconecto el móvil por la noche todos los días'.
How do you say 'I disconnect' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo desconecté del trabajo el fin de semana'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo desconectaba del trabajo el fin de semana todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he desconectado del trabajo el fin de semana'.
What is the difference between desconectar and conectar?
Desconectar means to disconnect, while conectar means to connect. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use desconectar when you mean to disconnect, as in Desconecto el móvil por la noche.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of desconectar — every tense of desconectar in one place.
- Desconectar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on desconectar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of desconectar until they are automatic.