Introduction

desobedecer means “to disobey”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to disobey” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows desobedecer 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 desobedezco las reglas por la mañana.” — “I disobey the rules.”

desobedecer in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desobedecer 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 desobedezco las reglas cada día.” — “I disobey the rules.”
  2. “Tú desobedeces las reglas cada día.” — “you disobey the rules.”
  3. “Él desobedece las reglas siempre.” — “He disobeys the rules.”
  4. “Nosotros desobedecemos las reglas todos los días.” — “We disobey the rules.”

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 desobedecí las reglas ayer.” — “I disobeyed the rules.” (preterite) 6. “Él desobedeció las reglas ayer.” — “He disobeyed the rules.” (preterite) 7. “Yo desobedecía las reglas cuando era joven.” — “I used to disobey the rules.” (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 desobedeceremos las reglas mañana.” — “We will disobey the rules.” (future) 9. “Tú has desobedecido las reglas hoy.” — “you have disobeyed the rules.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo desobedezca las reglas.” — “I hope that I disobey the rules.” (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 desobedecéis las reglas cada semana.” — “You disobey the rules.” 12. “Ellos desobedecen las reglas normalmente.” — “They disobey the rules.”

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

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú desobedeces las reglas?” — Do you disobey the rules?

Carlos: “Sí, yo desobedezco las reglas cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I disobey the rules every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También desobedeces las reglas?” — And yesterday? Did you disobey the rules too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo desobedecí las reglas. Mañana nosotros desobedeceremos las reglas otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I disobeyed the rules. Tomorrow we will disobey the rules again.

A short paragraph

Él desobedece las reglas cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how desobedecer 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 desobedezco las reglas — 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 desobedecer yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Using the unchanged stem

Learners often write desobedeco for the yo form, keeping the infinitive stem unchanged. The correct form is desobedezco. Because desobedecer changes its stem vowel, the change appears in the stressed syllables of the present: say the correct form out loud a few times — yo desobedezco las reglas — until the changed stem feels natural.

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desobedecí, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desobedeci — 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 desobedecer.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

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

Confusing desobedecer with descubrir

desobedecer 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 desobedecer — disobey — the sentence needs desobedecer; 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 desobedezca las reglas. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desobedezco — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desobedecer. 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 desobedecer in the present?

  • A. desobedeces
  • B. desobedece
  • C. desobedecemos
  • D. desobedezco

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

  • A. desobedecimos
  • B. desobedeciste
  • C. desobedecí
  • D. desobedeció

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

  • A. desobedecías
  • B. desobedecíamos
  • C. desobedecíais
  • D. desobedecía

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

  • A. desobedecerá
  • B. desobedeceremos
  • C. desobedeceré
  • D. desobedecerás

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

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

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

  • A. desobedezca
  • B. desobedezcan
  • C. desobedezca
  • D. desobedezcas

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

  • A. desobedeciste
  • B. desobedeció
  • C. desobedecimos
  • D. desobedecí

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

  • A. desobedecíamos
  • B. desobedecías
  • C. desobedecía
  • D. desobedecía

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

  • A. desobedeceré
  • B. desobedecerás
  • C. desobedeceremos
  • D. desobedecerá

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

  • A. desobedecería
  • B. desobedeceríamos
  • C. desobedecería
  • D. desobedecerías

Answer key

  1. desobedezco — The present table gives yo = desobedezco.
  2. desobedeciste — The preterite table gives tu = desobedeciste.
  3. desobedecía — The imperfect table gives el = desobedecía.
  4. desobedeceremos — The future table gives nosotros = desobedeceremos.
  5. habéis desobedecido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desobedecido.
  6. desobedezcan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desobedezcan.
  7. desobedecí — The preterite table gives yo = desobedecí.
  8. desobedecías — The imperfect table gives tu = desobedecías.
  9. desobedecerá — The future table gives el = desobedecerá.
  10. desobedeceríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desobedeceríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use desobedecer in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo desobedezco las reglas.” — “I disobey the rules.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form desobedezco first, then the preterite yo form desobedecí and the participle desobedecido. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund desobedeciendo next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is desobedecer reflexive?

No — desobedecer is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo desobedezco las reglas. 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 desobedecer?

On the main conjugation page for desobedecer, 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