Desviar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb desviar means to divert, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Desviar means to divert something from its course: desviar el tráfico, desviar la atención, desviar los fondos. It is used for traffic, rivers, attention and money. Like every Spanish verb, desviar 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 Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle — "I divert the traffic down another street". 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: desviar
  • English: to divert
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: desviando
  • Past participle: desviado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + desviado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for desviar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for desviar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desvío | | tú | desvías | | él/ella/Ud. | desvía | | nosotros/as | desviamos | | vosotros/as | desviáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desvían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desvié | | tú | desviaste | | él/ella/Ud. | desvió | | nosotros/as | desviamos | | vosotros/as | desviasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desviaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desviaba | | tú | desviabas | | él/ella/Ud. | desviaba | | nosotros/as | desviábamos | | vosotros/as | desviabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desviaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desviaré | | tú | desviarás | | él/ella/Ud. | desviará | | nosotros/as | desviaremos | | vosotros/as | desviaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desviarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desviaría | | tú | desviarías | | él/ella/Ud. | desviaría | | nosotros/as | desviaríamos | | vosotros/as | desviaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desviarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he desviado | | tú | has desviado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha desviado | | nosotros/as | hemos desviado | | vosotros/as | habéis desviado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han desviado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había desviado | | tú | habías desviado | | él/ella/Ud. | había desviado | | nosotros/as | habíamos desviado | | vosotros/as | habíais desviado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían desviado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré desviado | | tú | habrás desviado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá desviado | | nosotros/as | habremos desviado | | vosotros/as | habréis desviado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán desviado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría desviado | | tú | habrías desviado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría desviado | | nosotros/as | habríamos desviado | | vosotros/as | habríais desviado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían desviado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desvíe | | tú | desvíes | | él/ella/Ud. | desvíe | | nosotros/as | desviemos | | vosotros/as | desviéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desvíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desviara | | tú | desviaras | | él/ella/Ud. | desviara | | nosotros/as | desviáramos | | vosotros/as | desviarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desviaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | desvía | | él/ella/Ud. | desvíe | | nosotros/as | desviemos | | vosotros/as | desviad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desvíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | desvíes | | él/ella/Ud. | desvíe | | nosotros/as | desviemos | | vosotros/as | desviéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desvíen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund desviando with estar for the progressive: está desviando
Past participle desviado with haber for the perfect tenses: he desviado

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 desviar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle — "I divert the traffic down another street".

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 desviar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo desvié el río con un canal — "Yesterday, I diverted the river with a canal".

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 desviar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo desviaba la atención de sus alumnos — "As a child, I used to divert his pupils' attention".

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 desviar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo desviaré la mirada hacia la ventana — "Tomorrow, I will divert his gaze towards the window".

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 desviar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo desviaría el tráfico por otra calle si pudiera — "I would divert the traffic down another street if I could".

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 desviar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he desviado el río con un canal — "Today, I have diverted the river with a canal".

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 desviar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había desviado la atención de sus alumnos antes de salir — "I already had diverted his pupils' attention before leaving".

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 desviar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré desviado la mirada hacia la ventana — "By tomorrow, I will have diverted his gaze towards the window".

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 desviar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría desviado el tráfico por otra calle con más tiempo — "I would have diverted the traffic down another street with more time".

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 desviar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él desvíe el río con un canal — "I hope he diverts the river with a canal".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 desviar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo desviara la atención de sus alumnos, todo cambiaría — "If I diverted his pupils' attention, everything would change".

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 desviar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Desvía la mirada hacia la ventana. — "Divert his gaze towards the window.".

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 desviar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No desvíes el tráfico por otra calle. — "Do not divert the traffic down another street.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle — "I divert the traffic down another street"
  2. Mi amigo desvía el río con un canal — "My friend diverts the river with a canal"
  3. Ayer, yo desvié la atención de sus alumnos — "Yesterday, I diverted his pupils' attention"
  4. Antes, nosotros desviábamos la mirada hacia la ventana — "Before, we used to divert his gaze towards the window"
  5. Mañana, tú desviarás los fondos a otro proyecto — "Tomorrow, you will divert the funds to another project"
  6. Yo desviaría el tráfico por otra calle si tuviera más tiempo — "I would divert the traffic down another street if I had more time"
  7. Él ha desviado el río con un canal — "He has diverted the river with a canal"
  8. Espero que él desvíe la atención de sus alumnos — "I hope he diverts his pupils' attention"
  9. Yo ya había desviado la mirada hacia la ventana antes de salir — "I already had diverted his gaze towards the window before leaving"
  10. Ellos desviaban los fondos a otro proyecto cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to divert the funds to another project when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él desvía el río con un canal — Right: Espero que él desvíe el río con un canal — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él desvíe el río con un canal — not the indicative Espero que él desvía el río con un canal.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo desvío la atención de sus alumnos — Right: Ayer, yo desvié la atención de sus alumnos — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo desvié la atención de sus alumnos.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo desvié la mirada hacia la ventana todos los días — Right: De niño, yo desviaba la mirada hacia la ventana todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo desviaba la mirada hacia la ventana todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo desvío en el tráfico por otra calle. — Right: Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle. — desviar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros desviais los fondos a otro proyecto. — Right: Vosotros desviáis los fondos a otro proyecto. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: desviáis, not desviais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el tráfico por otra calle — "I divert the traffic down another street" (present) A. desvías B. desvía C. desviamos D. desvío

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el río con un canal — "He diverted the river with a canal" (preterite) A. desviamos B. desvió C. desvié D. desviaste

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la atención de sus alumnos — "We used to divert his pupils' attention" (imperfect) A. desviabais B. desviábamos C. desviaba D. desviabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la mirada hacia la ventana — "You will divert his gaze towards the window" (future) A. desviaremos B. desviarás C. desviaré D. desviará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los fondos a otro proyecto — "I would divert the funds to another project" (conditional) A. desviaríais B. desviaría C. desviarías D. desviaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el tráfico por otra calle — "I hope he diverts the traffic down another street" (present subjunctive) A. desvíes B. desviemos C. desviéis D. desvíe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el río con un canal, todo cambiaría — "If I diverted the river with a canal, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. desviarais B. desviara C. desviaras D. desviáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la atención de sus alumnos — "We have diverted his pupils' attention" (present perfect) A. ha desviado B. hemos desviado C. he desviado D. has desviado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ la mirada hacia la ventana. — "Do not divert his gaze towards the window." (negative imperative) A. desviéis B. desvíes C. desvíe D. desviemos

  10. Which is the gerund of desviar, used with estar for the progressive? A. desviando B. desviado C. desvío D. desvié

Answer key

  1. desvío — The present form for yo is desvío.
  2. desvió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is desvió.
  3. desviábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is desviábamos.
  4. desviarás — The future form for tú is desviarás.
  5. desviaría — The conditional form for yo is desviaría.
  6. desvíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is desvíe.
  7. desviara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is desviara.
  8. hemos desviado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos desviado.
  9. desvíes — The negative imperative form is desvíes.
  10. desviando — The gerund of desviar is desviando: estoy desviando. The participle desviado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does desviar mean in English?

desviar means to divert. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo desvío el tráfico por otra calle — "I divert the traffic down another street". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is desviar regular?

Yes. desviar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as desviáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of desviar?

The gerund is desviando and the past participle is desviado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I divert" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo desvié el río con un canal — "Yesterday, I diverted the river with a canal". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo desviaba la atención de sus alumnos — "As a child, I used to divert his pupils' attention". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he desviado el río con un canal — "Today, I have diverted the river with a canal".

What is the difference between desviar and distraer?

Distraer is to distract someone's attention. Desviar is wider — you desvías traffic, a river or funds, not just attention. Desviar means to divert something from its course: desviar el tráfico, desviar la atención, desviar los fondos. It is used for traffic, rivers, attention and money.

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