Despegar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

despegar means “to take off (a plane)” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Despegar means to take off, for a plane leaving the ground, and also to unstick something that was stuck. The flight sense is the everyday one, and it is a spelling-change verb: g becomes gu before e. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of despegar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the despegar present tense page.

despegar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo despego a las ocho de la mañana. — “I take off at eight in the morning.”
  2. Él despega con veinte minutos de retraso. — “He takes off twenty minutes late.”
  3. Nosotros despegamos hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “We take off to Barcelona non-stop.”
  4. Ellos despegan del suelo con el avión lleno. — “They take off from the ground with the plane full.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo despegué con veinte minutos de retraso. — “Yesterday, I took off twenty minutes late.”
  2. Antes, nosotros despegábamos hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “Before, we used to take off to Barcelona non-stop.”
  3. Él despegó del suelo con el avión lleno. — “He took off from the ground with the plane full.”
  4. Yo ya había despegado a las ocho de la mañana antes de salir. — “I had already taken off at eight in the morning before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú despegarás a las ocho de la mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will take off at eight in the morning.”
  2. Yo despegaría con veinte minutos de retraso si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would take off twenty minutes late if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha despegado hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “He has taken off to Barcelona non-stop.”
  4. Espero que él despegue del suelo con el avión lleno. — “I hope he takes off from the ground with the plane full.”

despegar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use despegar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo despego a las ocho de la mañana. — “I take off at eight in the morning.”
  • Bea: Él despega con veinte minutos de retraso. — “He takes off twenty minutes late.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo despegué con veinte minutos de retraso. — “Yesterday, I took off twenty minutes late.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú despegarás a las ocho de la mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will take off at eight in the morning.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros despegamos hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “We take off to Barcelona non-stop.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros despegábamos hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “Before, we used to take off to Barcelona non-stop.”
  • Luis: Yo despegaría con veinte minutos de retraso si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would take off twenty minutes late if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él despegue del suelo con el avión lleno. — “I hope he takes off from the ground with the plane full.”

A short scene with despegar

A short scene shows how despegar works across the day. In the morning: Despego a las ocho de la mañana. In the afternoon: Despega con veinte minutos de retraso. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, despegué hacia Barcelona sin escalas. And tomorrow: Mañana, despegaré del suelo con el avión lleno. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how despegar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with despegar

The errors learners actually make with despegar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo despega a las ocho de la mañana.

✓ Correct: Yo despego a las ocho de la mañana.

The person matters: despega is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is despego. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Espero que yo despege con veinte minutos de retraso.

✓ Correct: Espero que yo despegue con veinte minutos de retraso.

Spelling change: becomes u before e, so the present subjunctive is despegue, never despege.

✗ Treating despegar and aterrizar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Despegar means to take off (a plane), while aterrizar means to land.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: despegar fits sentences such as Despego a las ocho de la mañana, while aterrizar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy despegado con veinte minutos de retraso.

✓ Correct: Yo he despegado con veinte minutos de retraso.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he despegado, has despegado, ha despegado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo despegué hacia Barcelona sin escalas todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo despegaba hacia Barcelona sin escalas todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (despegaba), not the preterite. The preterite (despegué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: despegar in use

Ten questions on despegar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con veinte minutos de retraso. — “He/she takes off twenty minutes late.”

  • a) despega
  • b) despego
  • c) despegas
  • d) despegamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “Yesterday, I took off to Barcelona non-stop.”

  • a) despegaste
  • b) despegó
  • c) despegaron
  • d) despegué

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ del suelo con el avión lleno cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to take off from the ground with the plane full when they were young.”

  • a) despegabas
  • b) despegábamos
  • c) despegaban
  • d) despegaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a las ocho de la mañana. — “Tomorrow, we will take off at eight in the morning.”

  • a) despegarán
  • b) despegaremos
  • c) despegaré
  • d) despegarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con veinte minutos de retraso si pudiera. — “He would take off twenty minutes late if he could.”

  • a) despegaría
  • b) despegarías
  • c) despegaríamos
  • d) despego

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ hacia Barcelona sin escalas. — “I have taken off to Barcelona non-stop.”

  • a) has despegado
  • b) ha despegado
  • c) han despegado
  • d) he despegado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ del suelo con el avión lleno. — “I hope you take off from the ground with the plane full.”

  • a) despeguemos
  • b) despego
  • c) despegues
  • d) despegue

8. Which is the past participle of despegar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) despegué
  • b) despegado
  • c) despegando
  • d) despego

9. What does despegar mean in English?

  • a) to take off (a plane)
  • b) to land
  • c) to set sail
  • d) to dock

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él despega con veinte minutos de retraso.
  • b) Él despego con veinte minutos de retraso.
  • c) Nosotros despega hacia Barcelona sin escalas.
  • d) Yo despega a las ocho de la mañana.

Answer key

  1. a) despega — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: despega.

  2. d) despegué — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: despegué, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) despegaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: despegaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) despegaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: despegaremos.

  5. a) despegaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: despegaría.

  6. d) he despegado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he despegado, haber + despegado.

  7. c) despegues — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is despegues.

  8. b) despegado — The past participle is despegado: he despegado, has despegado, ha despegado. The gerund despegando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to take off (a plane) — despegar means to take off (a plane). The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él despega con veinte minutos de retraso. — Él despega con veinte minutos de retraso. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use despegar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Despego a las ocho de la mañana and Despega con veinte minutos de retraso. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between despegar and aterrizar?

Despegar means “to take off (a plane)”, while aterrizar means “to land”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use despegar when you mean “to take off (a plane)” and aterrizar when you mean “to land”.

Which tense do I need most with despegar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use despegar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is despegar formal or informal?

Despegar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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