Dejar is a deceptively useful verb meaning 'to leave', 'to let' and 'to lend'. You dejas your keys on the table, your parents te dejan go out (let you), and a friend te deja a pen (lends you one). It is a regular -ar verb, so the forms are easy, but the meaning shifts with structure. The single most useful pattern is dejar de + infinitive, meaning to stop doing something (dejé de fumar, I gave up smoking). Because it packs several everyday meanings into one easy verb, dejar gives you a lot of expressive range for very little effort.
Quick facts
Dejar (to leave / let) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
To leave something somewhere: dejé el libro en casa (I left the book at home).
Dejar + infinitive means to let: mis padres me dejan salir (my parents let me go out).
Dejar de + infinitive means to stop doing something: dejó de llover (it stopped raining).
In casual use it means to lend: ¿me dejas un boli? (can you lend me a pen?).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
Dejar de + infinitive means to STOP doing something (dejé de fumar = I stopped smoking) — don't confuse it with dejar + infinitive (to let). Dejar also means 'to lend' in casual speech: ¿me dejas un boli? = can you lend me a pen?
dejar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know dejar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice dejar now →Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: dejo, tú: dejas, él: deja, nosotros: dejamos, vosotros: dejáis, ellos: dejan
Dejar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.
Use dejar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Dejar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.