Introduction

desplazar means “to move, to displace”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to move, to displace” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows desplazar 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 desplazo la mesa por la mañana.” — “I move the table.”

desplazar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how desplazar 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 desplazo la mesa cada día.” — “I move the table.”
  2. “Tú desplazas la mesa cada día.” — “you move the table.”
  3. “Él desplaza la mesa siempre.” — “He moves the table.”
  4. “Nosotros desplazamos la mesa todos los días.” — “We move the table.”

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 desplacé la mesa ayer.” — “I moved the table.” (preterite) 6. “Él desplazó la mesa ayer.” — “He moved the table.” (preterite) 7. “Yo desplazaba la mesa cuando era joven.” — “I used to move the table.” (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 desplazaremos la mesa mañana.” — “We will move the table.” (future) 9. “Tú has desplazado la mesa hoy.” — “you have moved the table.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo desplace la mesa.” — “I hope that I move the table.” (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 desplazáis la mesa cada semana.” — “You move the table.” 12. “Ellos desplazan la mesa normalmente.” — “They move the table.”

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

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú desplazas la mesa?” — Do you move the table?

Luis: “Sí, yo desplazo la mesa cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I move the table every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También desplazas la mesa?” — And yesterday? Did you move the table too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo desplacé la mesa. Mañana nosotros desplazaremos la mesa otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I moved the table. Tomorrow we will move the table again.

A short paragraph

Él desplaza la mesa cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how desplazar 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 desplazo la mesa — 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 desplazar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is desplacé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — desplace — 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 desplazar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

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

Confusing desplazar with descubrir

desplazar 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 desplazar — move — the sentence needs desplazar; 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 desplace la mesa. Using the indicative — Espero que yo desplazo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with desplazar. 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 desplazar in the present?

  • A. desplazas
  • B. desplaza
  • C. desplazamos
  • D. desplazo

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

  • A. desplazamos
  • B. desplazaste
  • C. desplacé
  • D. desplazó

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

  • A. desplazabas
  • B. desplazábamos
  • C. desplazabais
  • D. desplazaba

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

  • A. desplazará
  • B. desplazaremos
  • C. desplazaré
  • D. desplazarás

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

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

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

  • A. desplace
  • B. desplacen
  • C. desplace
  • D. desplaces

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

  • A. desplazaste
  • B. desplazó
  • C. desplazamos
  • D. desplacé

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

  • A. desplazábamos
  • B. desplazabas
  • C. desplazaba
  • D. desplazaba

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

  • A. desplazaré
  • B. desplazarás
  • C. desplazaremos
  • D. desplazará

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

  • A. desplazaría
  • B. desplazaríamos
  • C. desplazaría
  • D. desplazarías

Answer key

  1. desplazo — The present table gives yo = desplazo.
  2. desplazaste — The preterite table gives tu = desplazaste.
  3. desplazaba — The imperfect table gives el = desplazaba.
  4. desplazaremos — The future table gives nosotros = desplazaremos.
  5. habéis desplazado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis desplazado.
  6. desplacen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = desplacen.
  7. desplacé — The preterite table gives yo = desplacé.
  8. desplazabas — The imperfect table gives tu = desplazabas.
  9. desplazará — The future table gives el = desplazará.
  10. desplazaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = desplazaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use desplazar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo desplazo la mesa.” — “I move the table.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

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

Learn the present yo form desplazo first, then the preterite yo form desplacé and the participle desplazado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund desplazando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is desplazar reflexive?

No — desplazar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo desplazo la mesa. 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 desplazar?

On the main conjugation page for desplazar, 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