Introduction
desobedecer means “to disobey”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to disobey”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for desobedecer: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. desobedecer is a irregular -er verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Yo desobedezco las reglas todos los días.” — “I disobey the rules.”
Quick facts
| Infinitive | desobedecer |
| English | to disobey |
| Verb type | Irregular -er verb |
| Gerund | desobedeciendo |
| Past participle | desobedecido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: desobedeciendo · Past participle: desobedecido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedezco |
| tú | desobedeces |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedece |
| nosotros/as | desobedecemos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecen |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedezco, as in “Yo desobedezco las reglas.” — “I disobey the rules.”
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedecí |
| tú | desobedeciste |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedeció |
| nosotros/as | desobedecimos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedecí, as in “Yo desobedecí las reglas.” — “I disobeyed the rules.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedecía |
| tú | desobedecías |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedecía |
| nosotros/as | desobedecíamos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedecía, as in “Yo desobedecía las reglas.” — “I used to disobey the rules.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedeceré |
| tú | desobedecerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedecerá |
| nosotros/as | desobedeceremos |
| vosotros/as | desobedeceréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecerán |
The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedeceré, as in “Yo desobedeceré las reglas.” — “I will disobey the rules.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedecería |
| tú | desobedecerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedecería |
| nosotros/as | desobedeceríamos |
| vosotros/as | desobedeceríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecerían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedecería, as in “Yo desobedecería las reglas.” — “I would disobey the rules.”
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he desobedecido |
| tú | has desobedecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha desobedecido |
| nosotros/as | hemos desobedecido |
| vosotros/as | habéis desobedecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han desobedecido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For desobedecer, the yo form is he desobedecido, as in “Yo he desobedecido las reglas.” — “I have disobeyed the rules.”
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había desobedecido |
| tú | habías desobedecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había desobedecido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos desobedecido |
| vosotros/as | habíais desobedecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían desobedecido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For desobedecer, the yo form is había desobedecido, as in “Yo había desobedecido las reglas.” — “I had disobeyed the rules.”
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré desobedecido |
| tú | habrás desobedecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá desobedecido |
| nosotros/as | habremos desobedecido |
| vosotros/as | habréis desobedecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán desobedecido |
The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For desobedecer, the yo form is habré desobedecido, as in “Yo habré desobedecido las reglas.” — “I will have disobeyed the rules.”
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría desobedecido |
| tú | habrías desobedecido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría desobedecido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos desobedecido |
| vosotros/as | habríais desobedecido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían desobedecido |
The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For desobedecer, the yo form is habría desobedecido, as in “Yo habría desobedecido las reglas.” — “I would have disobeyed the rules.”
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedezca |
| tú | desobedezcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedezca |
| nosotros/as | desobedezcamos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedezcan |
The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedezca, as in “Espero que yo desobedezca las reglas.” — “I hope that I disobey the rules.”
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | desobedeciera |
| tú | desobedecieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | desobedeciera |
| nosotros/as | desobedeciéramos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | desobedecieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For desobedecer, the yo form is desobedeciera, as in “Si yo desobedeciera las reglas, ...” — “If I disobeyed the rules, ...”
The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: desobedeciera becomes desobedeciese, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desobedece |
| Ud. | desobedezca |
| nosotros/as | desobedezcamos |
| vosotros/as | desobedeced |
| Uds. | desobedezcan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | desobedezcas |
| Ud. | desobedezca |
| nosotros/as | desobedezcamos |
| vosotros/as | desobedecáis |
| Uds. | desobedezcan |
The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is desobedece, as in “¡Desobedece las reglas” — “Disobey the rules” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no desobedezcas. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with desobedecer.
Example sentences
Here are ten sentences with desobedecer, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.
- “Yo desobedezco las reglas cada día.” — “I disobey the rules.”
- “Él desobedece las reglas todos los días.” — “He disobeys the rules.”
- “Yo desobedecí las reglas ayer.” — “I disobeyed the rules.”
- “Él desobedeció las reglas ayer.” — “He disobeyed the rules.”
- “Yo desobedecía las reglas cuando era joven.” — “I used to disobey the rules.”
- “Nosotros desobedeceremos las reglas mañana.” — “We will disobey the rules.”
- “Si pudiera, yo desobedecería las reglas.” — “If I could, i would disobey the rules.”
- “Yo he desobedecido las reglas hoy.” — “I have disobeyed the rules.”
- “Espero que yo desobedezca las reglas.” — “I hope that I disobey the rules.”
- “estoy desobedeciendo las reglas ahora mismo.” — “I am disobeying the rules.”
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
- desobedezco — The present table gives yo = desobedezco.
- desobedeciste — The preterite table gives tu = desobedeciste.
- desobedecía — The imperfect table gives el = desobedecía.
- desobedeceremos — The future table gives nosotros = desobedeceremos.
- habéis desobedecido — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desobedecido.
- desobedezcan — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desobedezcan.
- desobedecí — The preterite table gives yo = desobedecí.
- desobedecías — The imperfect table gives tu = desobedecías.
- desobedecerá — The future table gives el = desobedecerá.
- desobedeceríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desobedeceríamos.
Frequently asked questions
Is desobedecer regular or irregular?
desobedecer is a irregular -er verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.
What is the past participle of desobedecer?
The past participle of desobedecer is desobedecido. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he desobedecido, había desobedecido, habré desobedecido — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund desobedeciendo and you have the two non-finite forms covered.
What is the gerund of desobedecer?
The gerund of desobedecer is desobedeciendo. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy desobedeciendo, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle desobedecido, which belongs with haber, not with estar.
What is the yo form of desobedecer in the present?
The yo form is desobedezco — “Yo desobedezco las reglas.” means “I disobey the rules.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú desobedeces, él desobedece, nosotros desobedecemos, ellos desobedecen.
What is the difference between desobedecer and descubrir?
desobedecer means “to disobey”, while descubrir means “to discover”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to disobey”, use desobedecer; if it is about the meaning of descubrir, use descubrir instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.
Related links
- desobedecer in the present tense — the full present-tense page for this verb.
- desobedecer examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- Spanish irregular verbs — the full list of irregular verbs, grouped by pattern.
- descubrir conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- desarrollar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- describir conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- Verb conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb instantly.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.