Introduction

desinfectar means “to disinfect”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to disinfect” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows desinfectar 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo desinfecto las manos por la mañana.” — “I disinfect my hands.”

desinfectar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desinfectar 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo desinfecto las manos cada día.” — “I disinfect my hands.”
  2. “Tú desinfectas las manos cada día.” — “you disinfect my hands.”
  3. “Él desinfecta las manos siempre.” — “He disinfects my hands.”
  4. “Nosotros desinfectamos las manos todos los días.” — “We disinfect my hands.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo desinfecté las manos ayer.” — “I disinfected my hands.” (preterite) 6. “Él desinfectó las manos ayer.” — “He disinfected my hands.” (preterite) 7. “Yo desinfectaba las manos cuando era joven.” — “I used to disinfect my hands.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros desinfectaremos las manos mañana.” — “We will disinfect my hands.” (future) 9. “Tú has desinfectado las manos hoy.” — “you have disinfected my hands.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo desinfecte las manos.” — “I hope that I disinfect my hands.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros desinfectáis las manos cada semana.” — “You disinfect my hands.” 12. “Ellos desinfectan las manos normalmente.” — “They disinfect my hands.”

desinfectar 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 desinfectar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú desinfectas las manos?” — Do you disinfect my hands?

Carlos: “Sí, yo desinfecto las manos cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I disinfect my hands every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También desinfectas las manos?” — And yesterday? Did you disinfect my hands too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo desinfecté las manos. Mañana nosotros desinfectaremos las manos otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I disinfected my hands. Tomorrow we will disinfect my hands again.

A short paragraph

Él desinfecta las manos cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how desinfectar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo desinfecto las manos — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make desinfectar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desinfecté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desinfecte — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of desinfectar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For desinfectar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: desinfectamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he desinfectado las manos. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy desinfectado is not the present perfect of desinfectar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing desinfectar with descubrir

desinfectar and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of desinfectar — disinfect — the sentence needs desinfectar; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo desinfecte las manos. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desinfecto — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desinfectar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of desinfectar in the present?

  • A. desinfectas
  • B. desinfecta
  • C. desinfectamos
  • D. desinfecto

2. What is the tu form of desinfectar in the preterite?

  • A. desinfectamos
  • B. desinfectaste
  • C. desinfecté
  • D. desinfectó

3. What is the el form of desinfectar in the imperfect?

  • A. desinfectabas
  • B. desinfectábamos
  • C. desinfectabais
  • D. desinfectaba

4. What is the nosotros form of desinfectar in the future?

  • A. desinfectará
  • B. desinfectaremos
  • C. desinfectaré
  • D. desinfectarás

5. What is the vosotros form of desinfectar in the present perfect?

  • A. he desinfectado
  • B. has desinfectado
  • C. ha desinfectado
  • D. habéis desinfectado

6. What is the ellos form of desinfectar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. desinfecte
  • B. desinfecten
  • C. desinfecte
  • D. desinfectes

7. What is the yo form of desinfectar in the preterite?

  • A. desinfectaste
  • B. desinfectó
  • C. desinfectamos
  • D. desinfecté

8. What is the tu form of desinfectar in the imperfect?

  • A. desinfectábamos
  • B. desinfectabas
  • C. desinfectaba
  • D. desinfectaba

9. What is the el form of desinfectar in the future?

  • A. desinfectaré
  • B. desinfectarás
  • C. desinfectaremos
  • D. desinfectará

10. What is the nosotros form of desinfectar in the conditional?

  • A. desinfectaría
  • B. desinfectaríamos
  • C. desinfectaría
  • D. desinfectarías

Answer key

  1. desinfecto — The present table gives yo = desinfecto.
  2. desinfectaste — The preterite table gives tu = desinfectaste.
  3. desinfectaba — The imperfect table gives el = desinfectaba.
  4. desinfectaremos — The future table gives nosotros = desinfectaremos.
  5. habéis desinfectado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desinfectado.
  6. desinfecten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desinfecten.
  7. desinfecté — The preterite table gives yo = desinfecté.
  8. desinfectabas — The imperfect table gives tu = desinfectabas.
  9. desinfectará — The future table gives el = desinfectará.
  10. desinfectaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desinfectaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use desinfectar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo desinfecto las manos.” — “I disinfect my hands.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of desinfectar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form desinfecto first, then the preterite yo form desinfecté and the participle desinfectado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund desinfectando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is desinfectar reflexive?

No — desinfectar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo desinfecto las manos. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of desinfectar?

On the main conjugation page for desinfectar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links