The Imperfect Tense of dejar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Dejaba la puerta abierta. (I used to leave the door open.)

Dejar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Dejar (to leave (something)) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of dejar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To leave or let: For example, Dejaba la puerta abierta por las noches. (I used to leave the door open at night.)

To allow or permit: For example, No me dejaban salir tan tarde. (They wouldn’t let me go out so late.)

To stop or quit (doing something): For example, Dejaba de fumar cuando estaba enfermo. (I would quit smoking when I was sick.)

To leave behind or abandon: For example, Dejaba sus cosas tiradas por toda la casa. (He would leave his things scattered all over the house.)

To bequeath or leave (in a will): For example, Mi abuela me dejaba su colección de joyas. (My grandmother used to leave me her jewelry collection.)

To let someone be or leave alone: For example, Déjame en paz, ¿quieres? (Leave me alone, will you?)

To postpone or delay: For example, Siempre dejaba todo para el último minuto. (He would always leave everything until the last minute.)

Examples

Examples of Dejar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, dejaba la puerta abierta por descuido. (When I was a child, I used to leave the door open carelessly.)

Mis padres dejaban las luces encendidas por la noche. (My parents used to leave the lights on at night.)

Ella dejaba sus llaves en la oficina con frecuencia. (She often used to leave her keys at the office.)

Nosotros dejábamos la ropa sucia en el piso. (We used to leave the dirty clothes on the floor.)

Tú dejabas la puerta del carro abierta, ¿verdad? (You used to leave the car door open, right?)

Ellos dejaban las ventanas abiertas en verano. (They used to leave the windows open in summer.)

Vosotros dejabais la televisión encendida todo el día. (You all used to leave the TV on all day.)

Ustedes dejaban la casa hecha un desastre. (You all used to leave the house a mess.)

Yo dejaba mis tareas para el último minuto. (I used to leave my homework until the last minute.)

¿Por qué dejabas la puerta sin llave? (Why did you use to leave the door unlocked?)

Ella dejaba las sobras en la nevera. (She used to leave the leftovers in the fridge.)

Nosotros dejábamos las luces encendidas por accidente. (We used to leave the lights on by accident.)

Vosotros dejabais la calefacción encendida cuando salíais. (You all used to leave the heating on when you went out.)

Ustedes dejaban la puerta del patio abierta para los perros. (You all used to leave the patio door open for the dogs.)

Él dejaba sus cosas tiradas por toda la casa. (He used to leave his stuff lying around the house.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Dejar (to leave (something)) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.