Desligar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

desligar — to turn off — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to turn off and to switch off, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is desliguei. The present is desligo, desligas, desliga, and the participle is desligado. It is the exact opposite of ligar. On this page you will find desligar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the desligar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the desligar present tense page.

Example sentences with desligar

In the present tense

  • “Eu desligo a televisão todos os dias.” — “I turn off the television”
  • “Tu desligas a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn off the television”
  • “Ele desliga a televisão todos os dias.” — “He turns off the television”
  • “Nós desligamos a televisão todos os dias.” — “We turn off the television”
  • “Vós desligais a televisão todos os dias.” — “You turn off the television”
  • “Eles desligam a televisão todos os dias.” — “They turn off the television”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu desliguei a televisão ontem.” — “I turned off the television”
  • “Tu desligaste a televisão ontem.” — “You turned off the television”
  • “Ele desligou a televisão ontem.” — “He turned off the television”
  • “Nós desligámos a televisão ontem.” — “We turned off the television”
  • “Vós desligastes a televisão ontem.” — “You turned off the television”
  • “Eles desligaram a televisão ontem.” — “They turned off the television”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu desligava a televisão antigamente.” — “I used to turn off the television”
  • “Tu desligarás a televisão amanhã.” — “You will turn off the television”
  • “Ele desligaria a televisão um dia.” — “He would turn off the television”
  • “É importante que nós desliguemos a televisão.” — “It is important that we turn off the television”
  • “Desliga a televisão!” — “Turn off the television!”

How desligar is used

The first thing to know about desligar is its core meaning: to turn off. It means to turn off and to switch off, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is desliguei. The present is desligo, desligas, desliga, and the participle is desligado. It is the exact opposite of ligar. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company desligar keeps. The present eu form is desligo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho desligado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what desligar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need desligo, never desligar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho desligado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle desligado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Desligar in context

Eu desligo a televisão todos os dias. Tu desligas a televisão todos os dias. Ele desliga a televisão todos os dias. Nós desligamos a televisão todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of desligar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — desligo, desligas, desliga, desligamos — while the meaning stays the same: to turn off. Eu desliguei a televisão ontem. Tu desligaste a televisão ontem. Ele desligou a televisão ontem. Nós desligámos a televisão ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of desligar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to turn off — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu desligar a televisão.”

✓ Right: “Eu desligo a televisão todos os dias.”

The infinitive desligar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form desligo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu desligas a televisão.”

✓ Right: “Eu desligo a televisão todos os dias.”

desligas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is desligo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu desligo a televisão ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu desliguei a televisão ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito desliguei here, not the present desligo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou desligado a televisão.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho desligado a televisão esta semana.”

desligar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho desligado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on desligar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of desligar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) desligo
    • B) desligas
    • C) desliga
    • D) desligamos

  2. What is the eu form of desligar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens desligado
    • B) tem desligado
    • C) tenho desligado
    • D) temos desligado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of desligar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) desligavas
    • B) desligávamos
    • C) desligáveis
    • D) desligava

  4. What is the nós form of desligar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) desligaremos
    • B) desligarei
    • C) desligarás
    • D) desligará

  5. What is the tu form of desligar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) desligaria
    • B) desligarias
    • C) desligaríamos
    • D) desligaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of desligar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) desligaras
    • B) desligáramos
    • C) desligara
    • D) desligáreis

  7. What is the nós form of desligar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) desligue
    • B) desligues
    • C) desligueis
    • D) desliguemos

  8. What is the gerund of desligar?

    • A) desligando
    • B) desligado
    • C) desligar
    • D) desligo

  9. What is the past participle of desligar?

    • A) desligando
    • B) desligado
    • C) desligar
    • D) desligo

  10. What does desligar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to turn off
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) desligas — the correct form is desligas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho desligado — the correct form is tenho desligado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) desligava — the correct form is desligava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) desligaremos — the correct form is desligaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) desligarias — the correct form is desligarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) desligara — the correct form is desligara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) desliguemos — the correct form is desliguemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) desligando — the correct form is desligando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) desligado — the correct form is desligado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to turn off — the correct form is to turn off. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does desligar mean in English?

desligar means “to turn off”. You use it whenever you talk about to turn off in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is desligar regular or irregular?

desligar is regular. desligar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of desligar?

The gerund is desligando and the past participle is desligado. The perfect tenses use ter + desligado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of desligar?

On the desligar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The desligar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desligar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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