Desprenderse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb desprenderse means to come off, to give up, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, desprenderse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me desprendo de sus cosas viejas, and in the preterite you say me desprendí la pintura de la pared. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: desprenderse
  • English: to come off, to give up
  • Verb type: regular -er verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: desprendiendo
  • Past participle: desprendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desprendido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desprenderse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Desprenderse is reflexive: me desprendo. It takes de: desprenderse de sus cosas, desprenderse del dinero.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desprenderse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

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

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprendí
tú te desprendiste
él/ella/Ud. se desprendió
nosotros/as nos desprendimos
vosotros/as os desprendisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprendía
tú te desprendías
él/ella/Ud. se desprendía
nosotros/as nos desprendíamos
vosotros/as os desprendíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprenderé
tú te desprenderás
él/ella/Ud. se desprenderá
nosotros/as nos desprenderemos
vosotros/as os desprenderéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprenderán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprendería
tú te desprenderías
él/ella/Ud. se desprendería
nosotros/as nos desprenderíamos
vosotros/as os desprenderíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprenderían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he desprendido
tú te has desprendido
él/ella/Ud. se ha desprendido
nosotros/as nos hemos desprendido
vosotros/as os habéis desprendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han desprendido

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había desprendido
tú te habías desprendido
él/ella/Ud. se había desprendido
nosotros/as nos habíamos desprendido
vosotros/as os habíais desprendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían desprendido

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré desprendido
tú te habrás desprendido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá desprendido
nosotros/as nos habremos desprendido
vosotros/as os habréis desprendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán desprendido

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría desprendido
tú te habrías desprendido
él/ella/Ud. se habría desprendido
nosotros/as nos habríamos desprendido
vosotros/as os habríais desprendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían desprendido

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprenda
tú te desprendas
él/ella/Ud. se desprenda
nosotros/as nos desprendamos
vosotros/as os desprendáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me desprendiera
tú te desprendieras
él/ella/Ud. se desprendiera
nosotros/as nos desprendiéramos
vosotros/as os desprendierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te desprende
él/ella/Ud. se desprenda
nosotros/as nos desprendamos
vosotros/as os desprended
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te desprendas
él/ella/Ud. se desprenda
nosotros/as nos desprendamos
vosotros/as os desprendáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se desprendan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund desprendiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy desprendiendo (or me estoy desprendiendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle desprendido with haber for the perfect tenses: he desprendido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me desprendí del dinero para ayudar. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me desprendía la pintura de la pared. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me desprenderé de todo lo innecesario. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me desprendería de sus cosas viejas si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he desprendido del dinero para ayudar. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había desprendido la pintura de la pared antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré desprendido de todo lo innecesario. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría desprendido de sus cosas viejas con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se desprenda del dinero para ayudar. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se desprendiera la pintura de la pared, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se desprenda de todo lo innecesario. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For desprenderse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te desprendas de sus cosas viejas. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with desprenderse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. — I come off my old things.
  2. Se desprende del dinero para ayudar. — He/she comes off money to help.
  3. Ayer, me desprendí la pintura de la pared. — Yesterday, I came off the paint from the wall.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos desprendíamos de todo lo innecesario. — Before, we used to come off everything unnecessary.
  5. Mañana, tú te desprenderás de sus cosas viejas. — Tomorrow, you will come off my old things.
  6. Yo me desprendería del dinero para ayudar si tuviera más tiempo. — I would come off money to help if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha desprendido la pintura de la pared. — He has come off the paint from the wall.
  8. Espero que él se desprenda de todo lo innecesario. — I hope he comes off everything unnecessary.
  9. Yo ya me había desprendido de sus cosas viejas antes de salir. — I had already come off my old things before leaving.
  10. Ellos se desprendían del dinero para ayudar cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to come off money to help when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo desprendo de sus cosas viejas. — Right: 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo desprendo del dinero para ayudar. — Right: Ayer yo desprendí del dinero para ayudar. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: desprendo is happening now, while desprendí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating desprenderse and separarse as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy desprendido del dinero para ayudar. — Right: Yo he desprendido del dinero para ayudar. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he desprendido, has desprendido, ha desprendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo desprendí la pintura de la pared todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo desprendía la pintura de la pared todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (desprendía), not the preterite. The preterite (desprendí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on desprenderse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de sus cosas viejas. (present tense) A. me desprendo B. te desprendes C. se desprende D. nos desprendemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ del dinero para ayudar. (preterite) A. me desprendí B. te desprendiste C. se desprendieron D. se desprendió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la pintura de la pared. (imperfect) A. te desprendías B. se desprendían C. nos desprendíamos D. me desprendía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de todo lo innecesario. (future) A. nos desprenderemos B. te desprenderás C. me desprenderé D. se desprenderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de sus cosas viejas si pudiera. (conditional) A. me desprendería B. te desprenderías C. se desprendería D. se desprenderían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ del dinero para ayudar. (present subjunctive) A. me desprenda B. te desprendas C. nos desprendamos D. se desprenda

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la pintura de la pared, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se desprendiera B. nos desprendiéramos C. me desprendiera D. te desprendieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de todo lo innecesario. (present perfect) A. se han desprendido B. nos hemos desprendido C. me he desprendido D. te has desprendido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ de sus cosas viejas. (negative imperative, tú) A. te desprendas B. se desprenda C. nos desprendamos D. os desprendáis

  10. Which is the gerund of desprenderse, used with estar for the progressive? A. desprendido B. desprendo C. desprendí D. desprendiendo

Answer key

  1. me desprendo — The first-person present of desprenderse is me desprendo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se desprendió — The third-person preterite of desprenderse is se desprendió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos desprendíamos — The nosotros imperfect of desprenderse is nos desprendíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te desprenderás — The second-person future of desprenderse is te desprenderás.
  5. me desprendería — The first-person conditional of desprenderse is me desprendería, the form for what would happen.
  6. se desprenda — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of desprenderse is se desprenda.
  7. me desprendiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of desprenderse is me desprendiera.
  8. nos hemos desprendido — The nosotros present perfect of desprenderse is nos hemos desprendido: hemos + desprendido.
  9. te desprendas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te desprendas.
  10. desprendiendo — The gerund of desprenderse is desprendiendo: estoy desprendiendo. The participle desprendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does desprenderse mean in English?

Desprenderse means to come off, to give up. It is used in everyday situations such as Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is desprenderse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Desprenderse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas and él se desprende del dinero para ayudar. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between desprenderse and separarse?

Desprenderse means to come off, to give up, while separarse means to separate from. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use desprenderse when you mean to come off, to give up, as in Me desprendo de sus cosas viejas, and use separarse for to separate from. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I come off” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me desprendí del dinero para ayudar. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me desprendía la pintura de la pared. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he desprendido del dinero para ayudar.

How do I practise desprenderse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the desprenderse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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