The preterite of dejar is used to express when someone left something or let something happen at a specific moment in the past. For example, “I left the keys on the table” – “Dejé las llaves en la mesa.”
This is a regular -ar verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern without any irregularities or spelling changes.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Dejar (to leave/let) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | dejé |
| Tú | dejaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | dejó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | dejamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | dejasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | dejaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Dejar (to leave/let) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Dejar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of dejar expresses completed actions of leaving or allowing.
To leave/abandon: Used for specific instances of leaving something behind, for example Dejé las llaves en casa (I left the keys at home), or Dejaron la ciudad (They left the city).
To allow/let: Refers to giving permission, for example Me dejó salir temprano (He let me leave early).
Examples
Examples of Dejar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Dejé las llaves en la mesa de la cocina. (I left the keys on the kitchen table.)
Mi hermano dejó su trabajo el mes pasado. (My brother left his job last month.)
¿Por qué dejaste la ventana abierta? (Why did you leave the window open?)
Dejamos la fiesta temprano. (We left the party early.)
Los estudiantes dejaron sus mochilas en el salón. (The students left their backpacks in the classroom.)
Me dejó un mensaje importante. (He/she left me an important message.)
Dejaste una buena impresión en la entrevista. (You left a good impression in the interview.)
No me dejaron entrar al edificio. (They didn’t let me enter the building.)
Dejamos de fumar hace un año. (We quit smoking a year ago.)
¿Dónde dejaste mi libro? (Where did you leave my book?)
El jefe nos dejó salir temprano. (The boss let us leave early.)
Dejé de estudiar a medianoche. (I stopped studying at midnight.)
Sus padres le dejaron ir a la fiesta. (His/her parents let him/her go to the party.)
Dejamos todo listo para mañana. (We left everything ready for tomorrow.)
Me dejó sin palabras. (It left me speechless.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Dejar (to leave/let) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo dejé | I left |
| Tú dejaste | You left |
| Él / Ella / Usted dejó | He / She / You (formal) left |
| Nosotros / Nosotras dejamos | We left |
| Vosotros / Vosotras dejasteis | You all left |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes dejaron | They / You all (formal) left |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.