Desprenderse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of desprenderse — “to come off, to give up” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for desprenderse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Desprenderse means to come off or to give up something, for a part coming loose, and also for giving away a possession. It is the reflexive partner of desprender, and it is fully regular. It is reflexive, so every form takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. To see it in a real sentence: Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. — “I come off my old things.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of desprenderse will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: desprenderse
Every person of desprenderse in the present tense. The gerund is desprendiendo and the past participle is desprendido.
Present indicative
| Person | Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | me | desprendo |
| tú | te | desprendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | desprende |
| nosotros/as | nos | desprendemos |
| vosotros/as | os | desprendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | desprenden |
How the present indicative of desprenderse is formed
The present indicative of desprenderse is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | me | -o | desprendo |
| tú | te | -es | desprendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | se | -e | desprende |
| nosotros/as | nos | -emos | desprendemos |
| vosotros/as | os | -éis | desprendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | se | -en | desprenden |
Desprenderse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of every form: me desprendo, te desprendes, se desprende. The pronoun always comes before the conjugated verb, and it changes with the person. Without it, the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
The gerund of desprenderse is desprendiendo and the past participle is desprendido. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of desprenderse
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and desprenderse appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and desprenderse fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo me desprendo de sus cosas viejas todos los días.” — “I come off my old things every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él se desprende del dinero para ayudar.” — “He/she comes off money to help.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so me desprendo can mean both “I come off” and “I am come offing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo me desprendo la pintura de la pared.” — “Right now, I come off the paint from the wall.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo me desprendo de todo lo innecesario.” — “Tomorrow, I will come off everything unnecessary.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú te desprendes de sus cosas viejas?” — “Do you come off my old things?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Se desprende del dinero para ayudar. — “He/she comes off money to help.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Se desprendió del dinero para ayudar. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Se desprenden la pintura de la pared. — “They come off the paint from the wall.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Se desprendían la pintura de la pared. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Te desprendes de todo lo innecesario. — “You come off everything unnecessary.”
- Future — what will happen: Te desprenderás de todo lo innecesario. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: desprenderse in the present tense
Seven sentences that show desprenderse in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. — “I come off my old things.”
- Tú te desprendes del dinero para ayudar. — “You come off money to help.”
- Él se desprende la pintura de la pared. — “He comes off the paint from the wall.”
- Nosotros nos desprendemos de todo lo innecesario. — “We come off everything unnecessary.”
- Vosotros os desprendéis de sus cosas viejas. — “You (plural) come off my old things.”
- Ellos se desprenden del dinero para ayudar. — “They come off money to help.”
- ¿Tú te desprendes la pintura de la pared? — “Do you come off the paint from the wall?”
Common mistakes with desprenderse in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with desprenderse in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo desprenderse de sus cosas viejas. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo me desprendo de sus cosas viejas.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of desprenderse is me desprendo, not the infinitive desprenderse.
✗ Vosotros desprendeis de sus cosas viejas. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros desprendéis de sus cosas viejas.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: desprendéis, not desprendeis. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Yo desprendo de sus cosas viejas. (leaving out the reflexive pronoun).
✓ Correct: Yo me desprendo de sus cosas viejas.
Desprenderse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
✗ Treating desprenderse and separarse as identical in every context. (confusing desprenderse with separarse).
✓ Correct: Desprenderse means to come off, to give up, while separarse means to separate from.
They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: desprenderse fits sentences such as Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas, while separarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: desprenderse in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of desprenderse. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of desprenderse for tú?
- a) desprendes
- b) desprendo
- c) desprende
- d) desprenden
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de sus cosas viejas. — “I come off my old things.”
- a) desprende
- b) desprendemos
- c) desprendes
- d) desprendo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ del dinero para ayudar. — “He/she comes off money to help.” (present tense)
- a) desprendía
- b) desprenderá
- c) desprende
- d) desprendió
4. Which is the correct present tense form of desprenderse for nosotros?
- a) desprenden
- b) desprendemos
- c) desprendo
- d) desprende
5. Which sentence uses desprenderse correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él se desprendió del dinero para ayudar.
- b) Él se desprende del dinero para ayudar.
- c) Él se desprenderá del dinero para ayudar.
- d) Ellos se desprende del dinero para ayudar.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la pintura de la pared. — “They come off the paint from the wall.”
- a) desprendo
- b) desprende
- c) desprendemos
- d) desprenden
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ de todo lo innecesario? — “Do you come off everything unnecessary?”
- a) desprende
- b) desprenderás
- c) desprendes
- d) desprendo
8. What is the gerund of desprenderse?
- a) desprendí
- b) desprendiendo
- c) desprendido
- d) desprendo
Answer key
a) desprendes — The tú form is desprendes. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; desprendo is yo, desprende is él/ella and desprenden is ellos/ellas.
d) desprendo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: desprendo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) desprende — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: desprende. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) desprendemos — Nosotros takes desprendemos. In the present the nosotros ending for -er verbs is -emos, attached to the stem.
b) Él se desprende del dinero para ayudar. — Él se desprende del dinero para ayudar. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) desprenden — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is desprenden.
c) desprendes — The question needs the tú form in the present: desprendes.
b) desprendiendo — The gerund is desprendiendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle desprendido.
Frequently asked questions
Is desprenderse regular in the present tense?
Yes, the forms are regular — the only thing to watch is the reflexive pronoun. Desprenderse takes me, te, se, nos, os or se before every form: me desprendo, te desprendes, se desprende. Without the pronoun, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of desprenderse?
The gerund is desprendiendo and the past participle is desprendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I come off” in Spanish?
Say me desprendo. For example: Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. — “I come off my old things.”
What is the difference between desprenderse and separarse?
Desprenderse means “to come off, to give up”, while separarse means “to separate from”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use desprenderse when you mean “to come off, to give up” and separarse when you mean “to separate from”. The full conjugation of desprenderse is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of desprenderse — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- desprenderse examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Acogerse conjugation — another -er verb to compare with desprenderse.
- Absorber conjugation — another -er verb to compare with desprenderse.
- Acoger conjugation — another -er verb to compare with desprenderse.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.