Desembarcar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb desembarcar means to disembark, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Desembarcar means to disembark, to get off a ship or a plane after a journey. It is the opposite of embarcar, and it is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e. Like every Spanish verb, desembarcar 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 desembarco en el puerto al amanecer, and in the preterite you say desembarqué en la isla con las maletas. 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: desembarcar
- English: to disembark
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: desembarcando
- Past participle: desembarcado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desembarcado)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desembarcar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is desembarqué. In the present tense it is regular: desembarco.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desembarcar. 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 | desembarco |
| tú | desembarcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarca |
| nosotros/as | desembarcamos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarqué |
| tú | desembarcaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarcó |
| nosotros/as | desembarcamos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarcaba |
| tú | desembarcabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarcaba |
| nosotros/as | desembarcábamos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarcaré |
| tú | desembarcarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarcará |
| nosotros/as | desembarcaremos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarcaría |
| tú | desembarcarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarcaría |
| nosotros/as | desembarcaríamos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he desembarcado |
| tú | has desembarcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha desembarcado |
| nosotros/as | hemos desembarcado |
| vosotros/as | habéis desembarcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han desembarcado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había desembarcado |
| tú | habías desembarcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había desembarcado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos desembarcado |
| vosotros/as | habíais desembarcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían desembarcado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré desembarcado |
| tú | habrás desembarcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá desembarcado |
| nosotros/as | habremos desembarcado |
| vosotros/as | habréis desembarcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán desembarcado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría desembarcado |
| tú | habrías desembarcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría desembarcado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos desembarcado |
| vosotros/as | habríais desembarcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían desembarcado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarque |
| tú | desembarques |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarque |
| nosotros/as | desembarquemos |
| vosotros/as | desembarquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desembarcara |
| tú | desembarcaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarcara |
| nosotros/as | desembarcáramos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarcaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desembarca |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarque |
| nosotros/as | desembarquemos |
| vosotros/as | desembarcad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desembarques |
| él/ella/Ud. | desembarque |
| nosotros/as | desembarquemos |
| vosotros/as | desembarquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desembarquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | desembarcando | with estar for the progressive: estoy desembarcando |
| Past participle | desembarcado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he desembarcado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desembarcar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Desembarco en el puerto al amanecer. 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. Note the spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For desembarcar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, desembarqué del barco después del viaje. 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 desembarcar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, desembarcaba en la isla con las maletas. 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 desembarcar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, desembarcaré del avión en Madrid. 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 desembarcar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Desembarcaría en el puerto al amanecer 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 desembarcar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he desembarcado del barco después del viaje. 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 desembarcar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había desembarcado en la isla con las maletas 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 desembarcar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré desembarcado del avión en Madrid. 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 desembarcar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría desembarcado en el puerto al amanecer 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For desembarcar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él desembarque del barco después del viaje. 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 desembarcar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él desembarcara en la isla con las maletas, 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For desembarcar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Desembarca del avión en Madrid! 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: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For desembarcar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No desembarques en el puerto al amanecer. 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 desembarcar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Desembarco en el puerto al amanecer. — I disembark in the port at dawn.
- Desembarca del barco después del viaje. — He/she disembarks from the ship after the journey.
- Ayer, desembarqué en la isla con las maletas. — Yesterday, I disembarked on the island with the suitcases.
- Antes, nosotros desembarcábamos del avión en Madrid. — Before, we used to disembark from the plane in Madrid.
- Mañana, tú desembarcarás en el puerto al amanecer. — Tomorrow, you will disembark in the port at dawn.
- Yo desembarcaría del barco después del viaje si tuviera más tiempo. — I would disembark from the ship after the journey if I had more time.
- Él ha desembarcado en la isla con las maletas. — He has disembarked on the island with the suitcases.
- Espero que él desembarque del avión en Madrid. — I hope he disembarks from the plane in Madrid.
- Yo ya había desembarcado en el puerto al amanecer antes de salir. — I had already disembarked in the port at dawn before leaving.
- Ellos desembarcaban del barco después del viaje cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to disembark from the ship after the journey when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo desembarca en el puerto al amanecer. — Right: Yo desembarco en el puerto al amanecer. — The person matters: desembarca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is desembarco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo desembarce del barco después del viaje. — Right: Espero que yo desembarque del barco después del viaje. — Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque, never desembarce.
- Wrong: Treating desembarcar and bajar as identical in every context. — Right: Desembarcar means to disembark, while bajar means to get off, in general. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: desembarcar fits sentences such as Desembarco en el puerto al amanecer, while bajar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy desembarcado del barco después del viaje. — Right: Yo he desembarcado del barco después del viaje. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he desembarcado, has desembarcado, ha desembarcado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo desembarqué en la isla con las maletas todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo desembarcaba en la isla con las maletas todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desembarcaba), not the preterite. The preterite (desembarqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on desembarcar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el puerto al amanecer. (present tense) A. desembarco B. desembarcas C. desembarca D. desembarcamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ del barco después del viaje. (preterite) A. desembarqué B. desembarcaste C. desembarcaron D. desembarcó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en la isla con las maletas. (imperfect) A. desembarcabas B. desembarcaban C. desembarcábamos D. desembarcaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ del avión en Madrid. (future) A. desembarcaremos B. desembarcarás C. desembarcaré D. desembarcará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el puerto al amanecer si pudiera. (conditional) A. desembarcaría B. desembarcarías C. desembarcarían D. desembarco
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ del barco después del viaje. (present subjunctive) A. desembarques B. desembarquemos C. desembarco D. desembarque
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en la isla con las maletas, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. desembarcáramos B. desembarco C. desembarcara D. desembarcaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ del avión en Madrid. (present perfect) A. han desembarcado B. hemos desembarcado C. he desembarcado D. has desembarcado
Complete the command: ¡___ en el puerto al amanecer! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. desembarca B. desembarque C. desembarquemos D. desembarcad
Which is the gerund of desembarcar, used with estar for the progressive? A. desembarcado B. desembarco C. desembarqué D. desembarcando
Answer key
- desembarco — The first-person present of desembarcar is desembarco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- desembarcó — The third-person preterite of desembarcar is desembarcó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- desembarcábamos — The nosotros imperfect of desembarcar is desembarcábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- desembarcarás — The second-person future of desembarcar is desembarcarás.
- desembarcaría — The first-person conditional of desembarcar is desembarcaría, the form for what would happen.
- desembarque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of desembarcar is desembarque.
- desembarcara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of desembarcar is desembarcara.
- hemos desembarcado — The nosotros present perfect of desembarcar is hemos desembarcado: hemos + desembarcado.
- desembarca — The affirmative tú imperative of desembarcar is desembarca.
- desembarcando — The gerund of desembarcar is desembarcando: estoy desembarcando. The participle desembarcado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does desembarcar mean in English?
Desembarcar means to disembark. It is used in everyday situations such as Desembarco en el puerto al amanecer. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is desembarcar regular or irregular?
Desembarcar is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the present subjunctive is desembarque and the preterite first person is desembarqué — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -ar endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between desembarcar and bajar?
Desembarcar means to disembark, while bajar means to get off, in general. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use desembarcar when you mean to disembark, as in Desembarco en el puerto al amanecer, and use bajar for to get off, in general. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I disembark” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo desembarqué del barco después del viaje. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo desembarcaba en la isla con las maletas. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he desembarcado del barco después del viaje.
How do I practise desembarcar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the desembarcar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Desembarcar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for desembarcar.
- Desembarcar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for desembarcar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Aterrizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desembarcar.
- Enmarcar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desembarcar.
- Barnizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desembarcar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.