Desenchufar Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Desenchufar means “to unplug”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Desenchufar means to unplug, and it is used for unplugging a charger, a lamp or any appliance before travelling or cleaning. It is the opposite of enchufar, and it is fully regular. This page shows desenchufar 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 desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” — I unplug the charger before leaving.
Desenchufar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desenchufar 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 desenchufar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” — I unplug the charger before leaving.
“¿Tú desenchufas la lámpara por la noche?” — Do you unplug the lamp at night?
“Desenchufa el televisor al limpiar.” — He/she unplugs the television while cleaning.
“Desenchufamos el ordenador al terminar.” — We unplug the computer when I finish.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show desenchufar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo desenchufé el cargador antes de salir.” — Yesterday, I unplugged the charger before leaving. (preterite)
“Él desenchufaba la lámpara por la noche todos los días.” — He used to unplug the lamp at night 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 desenchufar stays the same.
“Nosotros desenchufaremos el televisor al limpiar mañana.” — We will unplug the television while cleaning tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has desenchufado el ordenador al terminar?” — Have you unplugged the computer when I finish? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Desenchufáis el cargador antes de salir.” — You unplug the charger before leaving.
“Desenchufan la lámpara por la noche.” — They unplug the lamp at night.
“Desenchufo el televisor al limpiar.” — I unplug the television while cleaning.
“Desenchufa el ordenador al terminar.” — He/she unplugs the computer when I finish.
Desenchufar 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 desenchufar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú desenchufas el cargador antes de salir?” — Do you unplug the charger before leaving?
Carlos: “Sí, yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” — Yes, I unplug the charger before leaving.
Lucía: “Nosotros desenchufamos la lámpara por la noche.” — We unplug the lamp at night.
Carlos: “Y ellos desenchufan el televisor al limpiar.” — And they unplug the television while cleaning.
Lucía: “Vosotros desenchufáis el ordenador al terminar.” — You unplug the computer when I finish.
Carlos: “Sí, y él desenchufa la lámpara por la noche.” — Yes, and he unplugs the lamp at night.
A short paragraph
Lucía desenchufa el cargador antes de salir, y Carlos desenchufa la lámpara por la noche. Nosotros desenchufamos el televisor al limpiar, y ellos desenchufan el ordenador al terminar. Yo desenchufo el televisor al limpiar, y mi padre desenchufa el ordenador al terminar. Desenchufar is part of everyday life, because to unplug is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with desenchufar
These are the errors learners actually make with desenchufar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo desenchufa el cargador antes de salir.” Right: “Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” Why: The person matters: desenchufa is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is desenchufo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo desenchufo la lámpara por la noche.” Right: “Ayer yo desenchufé la lámpara por la noche.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: desenchufo is happening now, while desenchufé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating desenchufar and enchufar as identical in every context.” Right: “Desenchufar means to unplug, while enchufar means to plug in.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: desenchufar fits sentences such as Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir, while enchufar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy desenchufado la lámpara por la noche.” Right: “Yo he desenchufado la lámpara por la noche.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he desenchufado, has desenchufado, ha desenchufado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo desenchufé el televisor al limpiar todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo desenchufaba el televisor al limpiar todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desenchufaba), not the preterite. The preterite (desenchufé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: desenchufar in use
Ten questions on desenchufar 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 cargador antes de salir.” (The charger before leaving.)
- (a) desenchufáis
- (b) desenchufo
- (c) desenchufas
Answer: desenchufáis — The vosotros/as form of desenchufar in the present is desenchufáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la lámpara por la noche.” (The lamp at night.)
- (a) desenchufo
- (b) desenchufas
- (c) desenchufan
Answer: desenchufan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of desenchufar in the present is desenchufan.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ el cargador antes de salir.” (The charger before leaving.)
- (a) desenchufó
- (b) desenchufé
- (c) desenchufaste
Answer: desenchufé — The yo form of desenchufar in the preterite is desenchufé.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la lámpara por la noche.” (The lamp at night.)
- (a) desenchufaba
- (b) desenchufabas
- (c) desenchufábamos
Answer: desenchufaba — The él/ella/Ud. form of desenchufar in the imperfect is desenchufaba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el televisor al limpiar.” (The television while cleaning.)
- (a) desenchufaré
- (b) desenchufarás
- (c) desenchufaremos
Answer: desenchufaremos — The nosotros/as form of desenchufar in the future is desenchufaremos.
6. What does desenchufar mean in English?
- (a) to connect
- (b) to unplug
- (c) to plug in
Answer: to unplug — Desenchufar means “to unplug”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.
- (b) Ellos desenchufa el cargador antes de salir.
- (c) Yo desenchufo la lámpara por la noche ayer.
Answer: Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. — “Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I unplug the charger before leaving.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo desenchufan el cargador antes de salir.
- (b) Yo desenchufé el cargador antes de salir.
- (c) Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.
Answer: Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. — “Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” 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 desenchufar in the present tense?
- (a) desenchufas
- (b) desenchufamos
- (c) desenchufo
Answer: desenchufamos — The nosotros form is desenchufamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo desenchufé el cargador antes de salir.
- (b) Nosotros desenchufaremos el cargador antes de salir mañana.
- (c) Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.
Answer: Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. — “Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I unplug' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir todos los días'.
How do you say 'I unplug' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo desenchufé la lámpara por la noche'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo desenchufaba la lámpara por la noche todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he desenchufado la lámpara por la noche'.
What is the difference between desenchufar and enchufar?
Desenchufar means to unplug, while enchufar means to plug in. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use desenchufar when you mean to unplug, as in Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of desenchufar — every tense of desenchufar in one place.
- Desenchufar 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 desenchufar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of desenchufar until they are automatic.