Desenchufar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb desenchufar means to unplug, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, desenchufar 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 desenchufo el cargador antes de salir, and in the preterite you say desenchufé el televisor al limpiar. 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: desenchufar
- English: to unplug
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: desenchufando
- Past participle: desenchufado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desenchufado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desenchufar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Desenchufar is fully regular: desenchufé, desenchufaba, desenchufaré. Desenchufar el cargador is to unplug the charger.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desenchufar. 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 | desenchufo |
| tú | desenchufas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufa |
| nosotros/as | desenchufamos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufé |
| tú | desenchufaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufó |
| nosotros/as | desenchufamos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufaba |
| tú | desenchufabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufaba |
| nosotros/as | desenchufábamos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufaré |
| tú | desenchufarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufará |
| nosotros/as | desenchufaremos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufaría |
| tú | desenchufarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufaría |
| nosotros/as | desenchufaríamos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he desenchufado |
| tú | has desenchufado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha desenchufado |
| nosotros/as | hemos desenchufado |
| vosotros/as | habéis desenchufado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han desenchufado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había desenchufado |
| tú | habías desenchufado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había desenchufado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos desenchufado |
| vosotros/as | habíais desenchufado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían desenchufado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré desenchufado |
| tú | habrás desenchufado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá desenchufado |
| nosotros/as | habremos desenchufado |
| vosotros/as | habréis desenchufado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán desenchufado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría desenchufado |
| tú | habrías desenchufado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría desenchufado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos desenchufado |
| vosotros/as | habríais desenchufado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían desenchufado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufe |
| tú | desenchufes |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufe |
| nosotros/as | desenchufemos |
| vosotros/as | desenchuféis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desenchufara |
| tú | desenchufaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufara |
| nosotros/as | desenchufáramos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desenchufa |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufe |
| nosotros/as | desenchufemos |
| vosotros/as | desenchufad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desenchufes |
| él/ella/Ud. | desenchufe |
| nosotros/as | desenchufemos |
| vosotros/as | desenchuféis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desenchufen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | desenchufando | with estar for the progressive: estoy desenchufando |
| Past participle | desenchufado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he desenchufado |
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 desenchufar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. 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 desenchufar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, desenchufé la lámpara por la noche. 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 desenchufar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, desenchufaba el televisor al limpiar. 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 desenchufar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, desenchufaré el ordenador al terminar. 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 desenchufar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Desenchufaría el cargador antes de salir 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 desenchufar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he desenchufado la lámpara por la noche. 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 desenchufar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había desenchufado el televisor al limpiar 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 desenchufar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré desenchufado el ordenador al terminar. 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 desenchufar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría desenchufado el cargador antes de salir 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desenchufar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él desenchufe la lámpara por la noche. 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 desenchufar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él desenchufara el televisor al limpiar, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desenchufar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Desenchufa el ordenador al terminar! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desenchufar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No desenchufes el cargador antes de salir. 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 desenchufar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. — I unplug the charger before leaving.
- Desenchufa la lámpara por la noche. — He/she unplugs the lamp at night.
- Ayer, desenchufé el televisor al limpiar. — Yesterday, I unplugged the television while cleaning.
- Antes, nosotros desenchufábamos el ordenador al terminar. — Before, we used to unplug the computer when I finish.
- Mañana, tú desenchufarás el cargador antes de salir. — Tomorrow, you will unplug the charger before leaving.
- Yo desenchufaría la lámpara por la noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would unplug the lamp at night if I had more time.
- Él ha desenchufado el televisor al limpiar. — He has unplugged the television while cleaning.
- Espero que él desenchufe el ordenador al terminar. — I hope he unplugs the computer when I finish.
- Yo ya había desenchufado el cargador antes de salir antes de salir. — I had already unplugged the charger before leaving before leaving.
- Ellos desenchufaban la lámpara por la noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to unplug the lamp at night when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo desenchufa el cargador antes de salir. — Right: Yo desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. — 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. — 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. — 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. — 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. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desenchufaba), not the preterite. The preterite (desenchufé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on desenchufar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el cargador antes de salir. (present tense) A. desenchufo B. desenchufas C. desenchufa D. desenchufamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la lámpara por la noche. (preterite) A. desenchufé B. desenchufaste C. desenchufaron D. desenchufó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el televisor al limpiar. (imperfect) A. desenchufabas B. desenchufaban C. desenchufábamos D. desenchufaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el ordenador al terminar. (future) A. desenchufaremos B. desenchufarás C. desenchufaré D. desenchufará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el cargador antes de salir si pudiera. (conditional) A. desenchufaría B. desenchufarías C. desenchufarían D. desenchufo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la lámpara por la noche. (present subjunctive) A. desenchufes B. desenchufemos C. desenchufo D. desenchufe
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el televisor al limpiar, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. desenchufáramos B. desenchufo C. desenchufara D. desenchufaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el ordenador al terminar. (present perfect) A. han desenchufado B. hemos desenchufado C. he desenchufado D. has desenchufado
Complete the command: ¡___ el cargador antes de salir! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. desenchufa B. desenchufe C. desenchufemos D. desenchufad
Which is the gerund of desenchufar, used with estar for the progressive? A. desenchufado B. desenchufo C. desenchufé D. desenchufando
Answer key
- desenchufo — The first-person present of desenchufar is desenchufo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- desenchufó — The third-person preterite of desenchufar is desenchufó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- desenchufábamos — The nosotros imperfect of desenchufar is desenchufábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- desenchufarás — The second-person future of desenchufar is desenchufarás.
- desenchufaría — The first-person conditional of desenchufar is desenchufaría, the form for what would happen.
- desenchufe — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of desenchufar is desenchufe.
- desenchufara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of desenchufar is desenchufara.
- hemos desenchufado — The nosotros present perfect of desenchufar is hemos desenchufado: hemos + desenchufado.
- desenchufa — The affirmative tú imperative of desenchufar is desenchufa.
- desenchufando — The gerund of desenchufar is desenchufando: estoy desenchufando. The participle desenchufado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does desenchufar mean in English?
Desenchufar means to unplug. It is used in everyday situations such as Desenchufo el cargador antes de salir. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is desenchufar regular or irregular?
Desenchufar is a fully regular -ar 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 desenchufo in the present and desenchufé in the preterite.
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, and use enchufar for to plug in. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I unplug” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo desenchufé la lámpara por la noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo desenchufaba el televisor al limpiar. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he desenchufado la lámpara por la noche.
How do I practise desenchufar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the desenchufar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Desenchufar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for desenchufar.
- Desenchufar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for desenchufar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Conectar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desenchufar.
- Enchufar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desenchufar.
- Amarrar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with desenchufar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.