Introduction

deslizar means “to slide”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to slide” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows deslizar 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 deslizo la puerta por la mañana.” — “I slide the door.”

deslizar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how deslizar 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 deslizo la puerta cada día.” — “I slide the door.”
  2. “Tú deslizas la puerta cada día.” — “you slide the door.”
  3. “Él desliza la puerta siempre.” — “He slides the door.”
  4. “Nosotros deslizamos la puerta todos los días.” — “We slide the door.”

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 deslicé la puerta ayer.” — “I slid the door.” (preterite) 6. “Él deslizó la puerta ayer.” — “He slid the door.” (preterite) 7. “Yo deslizaba la puerta cuando era joven.” — “I used to slide the door.” (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 deslizaremos la puerta mañana.” — “We will slide the door.” (future) 9. “Tú has deslizado la puerta hoy.” — “you have slid the door.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo deslice la puerta.” — “I hope that I slide the door.” (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 deslizáis la puerta cada semana.” — “You slide the door.” 12. “Ellos deslizan la puerta normalmente.” — “They slide the door.”

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

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú deslizas la puerta?” — Do you slide the door?

Diego: “Sí, yo deslizo la puerta cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I slide the door every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También deslizas la puerta?” — And yesterday? Did you slide the door too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo deslicé la puerta. Mañana nosotros deslizaremos la puerta otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I slid the door. Tomorrow we will slide the door again.

A short paragraph

Él desliza la puerta cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how deslizar 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 deslizo la puerta — 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 deslizar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is deslicé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — deslice — 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 deslizar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For deslizar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: deslizamos. 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 deslizado la puerta. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy deslizado is not the present perfect of deslizar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing deslizar with descubrir

deslizar 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 deslizar — slide — the sentence needs deslizar; 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 deslice la puerta. Using the indicative — Espero que yo deslizo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with deslizar. 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 deslizar in the present?

  • A. deslizas
  • B. desliza
  • C. deslizamos
  • D. deslizo

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

  • A. deslizamos
  • B. deslizaste
  • C. deslicé
  • D. deslizó

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

  • A. deslizabas
  • B. deslizábamos
  • C. deslizabais
  • D. deslizaba

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

  • A. deslizará
  • B. deslizaremos
  • C. deslizaré
  • D. deslizarás

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

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

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

  • A. deslice
  • B. deslicen
  • C. deslice
  • D. deslices

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

  • A. deslizaste
  • B. deslizó
  • C. deslizamos
  • D. deslicé

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

  • A. deslizábamos
  • B. deslizabas
  • C. deslizaba
  • D. deslizaba

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

  • A. deslizaré
  • B. deslizarás
  • C. deslizaremos
  • D. deslizará

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

  • A. deslizaría
  • B. deslizaríamos
  • C. deslizaría
  • D. deslizarías

Answer key

  1. deslizo — The present table gives yo = deslizo.
  2. deslizaste — The preterite table gives tu = deslizaste.
  3. deslizaba — The imperfect table gives el = deslizaba.
  4. deslizaremos — The future table gives nosotros = deslizaremos.
  5. habéis deslizado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis deslizado.
  6. deslicen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = deslicen.
  7. deslicé — The preterite table gives yo = deslicé.
  8. deslizabas — The imperfect table gives tu = deslizabas.
  9. deslizará — The future table gives el = deslizará.
  10. deslizaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = deslizaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use deslizar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo deslizo la puerta.” — “I slide the door.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form deslizo first, then the preterite yo form deslicé and the participle deslizado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund deslizando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is deslizar reflexive?

No — deslizar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo deslizo la puerta. 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 deslizar?

On the main conjugation page for deslizar, 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