Dejó de fumar. He stopped smoking. Drop the de and you get dejó fumar — he let someone smoke. That single two-letter preposition changes a verb of stopping into a verb of permission. If you have ever used one when you meant the other, you know how differently the sentences land on a native speaker.
Dejar is one of those Spanish verbs that does five jobs at once. It means to leave, to leave behind, to stop, to let, and to allow. Most of those meanings collapse into two patterns when an infinitive follows: dejar de + infinitive and dejar + infinitive. This guide untangles both — with tables, common-mistake drills, and the full set of idiomatic extensions that native speakers reach for every day.
Core rule: DEJAR DE + infinitive = to stop doing something (dejó de fumar = he stopped smoking). DEJAR + infinitive = to let / allow (déjame hablar = let me speak). One de makes all the difference — never drop it by accident.
Dejar de + Infinitive: To Stop Doing Something
When dejar is followed by de and an infinitive, the meaning is always about stopping or ceasing an ongoing action. The subject is the person or thing that stops. The infinitive names the activity that comes to an end. This construction works across all tenses and with any infinitive.
The key is the preposition de. In Spanish, de often marks separation or detachment — the subject detaches from an ongoing action, and the action falls away. Compare this to the English 'to stop + gerund': dejar de hablar = to stop talking, dejar de intentar = to stop trying, dejar de esperar = to stop waiting. The infinitive is always used after dejar de, never the gerundio — this is an absolute rule with no regional exceptions.
- Dejé de fumar hace tres años. (I stopped smoking three years ago.)
- Ha dejado de llover. (It has stopped raining.)
- ¿Cuándo vas a dejar de quejarte? (When are you going to stop complaining?)
- El motor dejó de funcionar a mitad de camino. (The engine stopped working halfway there.)
- Deja de decir tonterías. (Stop saying nonsense.) — informal tú command
- No puedo dejar de pensar en ello. (I can't stop thinking about it.)
- El viento dejó de soplar al amanecer. (The wind stopped blowing at dawn.)
- Ha dejado de interesarle la política. (Politics has stopped interesting her — she has lost interest in politics.)
Dejar de vs Parar de — Are They Interchangeable?
In everyday speech, especially in Spain, you will hear both dejar de and parar de. Both mean to stop doing something, but they are not completely synonymous. Dejar de is the standard form used across all Spanish-speaking regions and all registers. Parar de is more colloquial, common in spoken Spanish in Spain, but less standard in formal or written contexts. In Latin America, dejar de is the default; parar de is rarely heard. Cesar de is the literary alternative found in formal written texts.
| Construction | Register & Example |
|---|---|
| dejar de + inf | Standard (universal) — Dejé de fumar el año pasado. |
| parar de + inf | Colloquial Spain — Para de hacer ruido. (Spain, informal) |
| cesar de + inf | Formal / literary — Cesó de llover a medianoche. |
| dejar de + inf (negated) | All registers — No puedo dejar de pensar en ti. |
The safe choice is always dejar de. If you are talking to a friend in Madrid, parar de is perfectly natural. In a formal email, in written work, or in a context where you want to be understood everywhere from Buenos Aires to Barcelona, stick to dejar de.
Safe rule: dejar de always works. Parar de is colloquial Spain. Cesar de is literary. In writing and in Latin America, dejar de is the only natural form.
No Dejar de + Infinitive: Relentlessly Doing Something
When you negate dejar de, the meaning reverses from stopping to persisting. No dejar de + infinitive means to keep doing, to not stop doing — the stopping never happens. This pattern is extremely frequent in Spanish and appears in everything from complaints to warm recommendations.
- No deja de sorprenderme. (It keeps surprising me / It never stops surprising me.)
- No deja de llamar. (He keeps calling. / He won't stop calling.)
- No deja de nevar. (It won't stop snowing.)
- No dejes de probar el jamón de aquí. (Make sure you try the local jamón — don't miss it.)
- No dejó de mirarme en toda la cena. (She kept looking at me throughout the whole dinner.)
The imperative form no dejes de + infinitive is one of the most natural ways to give a warm recommendation in Spanish: no dejes de visitar el Prado, no dejes de probar la paella. Both mean 'make sure you visit / try' — the stop that never happens becomes a reminder to act. You will hear this constantly from Spanish friends and guidebooks.
Dejar + Infinitive: To Let or Allow Someone to Do Something
Remove the de and the meaning shifts completely. Dejar + infinitive means to let, to allow, or to permit. The subject of dejar is the person granting permission. A direct object pronoun names who is being given permission — and that pronoun goes before dejar, not after the infinitive.
This construction is structurally clean: the person who is allowed to act becomes a direct object pronoun (me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las) and attaches to the main verb dejar. No me dejan salir = they don't let me go out. ¿Me dejas pasar? = Will you let me through? The infinitive that follows names the action being permitted.
- No me dejan entrar sin reserva. (They won't let me in without a reservation.)
- Sus padres no la dejan salir hasta tarde. (Her parents don't let her stay out late.)
- Deja pasar al perro. (Let the dog in / through.)
- ¡Déjame hablar! (Let me speak! / Let me finish!)
- El médico me dejó volver al trabajo. (The doctor allowed me to go back to work.)
- ¿Me dejas ver tu móvil un momento? (Can I have a look at your phone for a second?)
- No te dejo ir solo. (I won't let you go alone.)
- Déjale explicar — tiene razón. (Let him explain — he is right.)
Dejar + Infinitive vs Dejar + Que + Subjunctive: Which to Choose?
Both constructions express permission but they differ in how the allowed person appears. If the person being allowed acts already appears as a pronoun before dejar, use dejar + infinitive. If permission is framed as a full subordinate clause with its own explicit subject, use dejar + que + present subjunctive. Both are grammatically correct; the choice is stylistic. The infinitive construction is more compact and colloquial; the que + subjunctive construction is more formal and explicit.
| Construction | When to use — Example |
|---|---|
| dejar + pronoun + inf | Person is a clitic pronoun — No te dejo salir. (I won't let you go out.) |
| dejar + que + subjunctive | Full clause with explicit subject — No dejo que mi hija salga sola. (I don't let my daughter go out alone.) |
| dejar + inf (no person) | Permission stated generally — Dejan fumar aquí. (They allow smoking here.) |
| dejarse + inf | Subject lets it happen to themselves — Se dejó convencer. (She let herself be convinced.) |
Quick check: if a pronoun (me, te, nos, la, lo) is the person being allowed, use dejar + inf: no me dejan entrar. If the allowed person is named as a subject in a full clause, use dejar + que + subjunctive: no deja que los niños corran. Both are correct — stylistic alternatives, not errors.
Dejar Caer, Dejar Pasar, Dejar Estar — Frozen Phrases Worth Knowing
Spanish has several fixed dejar + infinitive combinations that have acquired idiomatic meanings beyond their literal parts. These are high-frequency phrases that appear in conversation, journalism, and literature. Some are primarily literal, some primarily figurative, and some oscillate between both depending on context.
- dejar caer — literally: to drop; figuratively: to let something slip (a hint, a comment) — Dejó caer que pensaba dimitir. (She let slip that she was planning to resign.)
- dejar pasar — to let through; to miss an opportunity or let a deadline pass — No dejes pasar esta oportunidad. (Don't let this opportunity slip by.)
- dejar estar — to leave alone, to leave as it is — Déjalo estar, no vale la pena discutir. (Leave it alone, it's not worth arguing.)
- dejar ir — to let go (of a person or an attachment); to release — Tienes que aprender a dejar ir. (You need to learn to let go.)
- dejar entrar / dejar salir — to let in / let out — No me dejaron entrar al concierto. (They didn't let me into the concert.)
- dejar ver — to allow to see; to reveal — Esta película deja ver mucho sobre la sociedad española. (This film reveals a lot about Spanish society.)
Dejar Caer: Dropping Something on Purpose
The figurative use of dejar caer deserves special attention because it appears so often in journalism and conversation. Literally it means to drop something. Figuratively it means to let something slip out, to casually mention something, or to drop a hint — you hold a secret or a plan and you let it fall into the conversation, not quite saying it directly but allowing it to land. It is a way of communicating something deniably, and it is one of those phrases that makes your Spanish sound very fluent when you use it right.
- Dejó caer que buscaba trabajo. (He let slip that he was looking for a job.)
- Dejó caer una indirecta sobre el precio. (She dropped a hint about the price.)
- Dejó caer que estaba pensando en divorciarse. (He casually mentioned that he was thinking about getting divorced.)
Dejarse + Infinitive: Letting Things Happen to You
Add the reflexive se to dejar and a new construction opens up: dejarse + infinitive means to let oneself be acted upon — to allow something to happen to you, to surrender to it, to yield without resistance. The subject is also the person being affected. This is the self-directed version of dejar, and it carries an emotional weight that the non-reflexive construction lacks.
The key insight is that the subject is simultaneously the one doing the allowing and the one being acted upon. Se dejó convencer = she let herself be convinced (she is both the person who permitted it and the person who was persuaded). Nos dejamos llevar = we let ourselves be swept along. The reflexive marks this and is not optional — removing se changes the meaning entirely.
- dejarse llevar — to let yourself be swept along, to go with the flow, to be carried away — Se dejó llevar por el pánico y tomó la decisión equivocada.
- dejarse ver — to be seen, to show up, to make an appearance — Hace semanas que no se deja ver por aquí.
- dejarse querer — to allow yourself to be loved, to accept affection graciously — Aprende a dejarte querer un poco.
- dejarse caer (por) — to drop in casually — Déjate caer por mi casa cuando quieras.
- dejarse convencer — to let yourself be persuaded, to give in to an argument — Al final se dejó convencer por los argumentos.
- dejarse engañar — to allow yourself to be deceived — No te dejes engañar por las apariencias.
Dejar Mucho que Desear
One fixed phrase with dejar + que + infinitive stands out for frequency and elegance: dejar mucho que desear. Literally 'to leave much to be desired' — the same idiom as in English — but in Spanish it is used far more freely, from restaurant reviews to assessments of political speeches to football match summaries. The subject is whatever falls short. The construction expresses polite but pointed disappointment. The inverse, dejar poco que desear, means nearly perfect quality.
- La actuación dejó mucho que desear. (The performance left a lot to be desired.)
- El servicio deja bastante que desear. (The service is quite lacking.)
- Su puntualidad deja mucho que desear. (His punctuality leaves a lot to be desired.)
Full Construction Map: Every Way Dejar Works with an Infinitive
| Pattern | Meaning — Example |
|---|---|
| dejar de + inf | to stop doing — Dejé de fumar. (I stopped smoking.) |
| no dejar de + inf | to keep doing / not stop — No deja de llamar. (He keeps calling.) |
| no dejes de + inf | make sure to do — No dejes de probar el vino. (Make sure you try the wine.) |
| dejar + inf | to let / allow generally — Dejan fumar aquí. (They allow smoking here.) |
| dejar + pronoun + inf | to let someone do — No te dejo salir. (I won't let you go out.) |
| dejar + que + subj | to allow (full clause) — No deja que su hija salga. (She doesn't let her daughter go out.) |
| dejarse + inf | to let oneself be acted on — Se dejó convencer. (She let herself be convinced.) |
| dejar + inf (frozen) | idiom (caer / pasar / estar) — Dejó caer una indirecta. (She let a hint slip.) |
| dejar mucho que desear | to leave much to be desired — Deja mucho que desear. (It leaves a lot to be desired.) |
Four Common Mistakes with Dejar
1. Gerundio instead of infinitive after dejar de
English says 'stop doing' with a gerund. Spanish always uses the infinitive after dejar de. Dejar de fumando is wrong in every context. Dejar de fumar is always right. No exceptions, no regional variants. The infinitive is the only correct form after dejar de.
- ✗ Dejé de trabajando en esa empresa.
- ✓ Dejé de trabajar en esa empresa. (I stopped working at that company.)
- ✗ No puedo dejar de pensando en ti.
- ✓ No puedo dejar de pensar en ti. (I can't stop thinking about you.)
2. Dropping the de and flipping the meaning
Dejar de + infinitive and dejar + infinitive are two different verbs doing completely different things, not stylistic variants. Dejó de fumar = he stopped smoking. Dejó fumar = he allowed (someone) to smoke. The presence or absence of de is not optional. Getting this wrong does not just sound slightly off — it says the opposite of what you intended.
3. Putting the person in the wrong position
When using dejar + infinitive to say 'let me do something,' the person being allowed must appear as a clitic pronoun before dejar, not as a noun phrase after the infinitive. The pattern is: (pronoun) dejar + infinitive.
- ✗ No dejan entrar a mí. (awkward — pronoun in wrong position)
- ✓ No me dejan entrar. (They won't let me in.)
- ✗ ¿Dejas ir a ella?
- ✓ ¿La dejas ir? (Will you let her go?)
4. Forgetting that no dejar de means the opposite of dejar de
Dejar de hablar = to stop talking. No dejar de hablar = to not stop talking = to keep talking relentlessly. The negation reverses the meaning entirely. When you hear no deja de hablar about someone, it is likely a complaint, not a compliment — the person in question never stops. Understanding this logic is what lets you produce it correctly in your own Spanish.
Practice: Translate These Using Dejar
Practice 1
She stopped eating meat two years ago.
Dejó de comer carne hace dos años.
dejar de + infinitive — the action of eating stops.
Practice 2
My parents won't let me use their car.
Mis padres no me dejan usar su coche.
dejar + pronoun (me) + infinitive — permission denied.
Practice 3
I can't stop thinking about that conversation.
No puedo dejar de pensar en esa conversación.
no poder + dejar de + infinitive — ongoing, unstoppable action.
Practice 4
Let him explain — it's his turn.
Déjale explicar — es su turno.
imperative of dejar + pronoun (le) + infinitive.
Practice 5
They have stopped arguing about money.
Han dejado de discutir sobre el dinero.
dejar de + infinitive — present perfect, cessation complete.
Practice 6
She let slip that she was moving abroad.
Dejó caer que se marchaba al extranjero.
dejar caer (figurative) — revealing something casually.
Practice 7
Don't miss trying the local cider!
¡No dejes de probar la sidra local!
no dejes de + infinitive — imperative warm recommendation.
Practice 8
He let himself be swept away by the excitement.
Se dejó llevar por la emoción.
dejarse llevar — reflexive, letting an emotion take over.
Where to Go Next
Dejar + infinitive belongs to a family of verb + infinitive constructions in Spanish where one preposition shifts the entire meaning. For a similar pattern with llegar — llegar a + infinitive meaning 'to eventually do' or 'to manage to do' — see the full guide at /blog/llegar-a-infinitive-spanish-guide/. For the broader grammar of verb + infinitive vs verb + que + subjunctive, the compare page at /compare/subjuntivo-vs-indicativo/ shows exactly when a subordinate clause changes its verb form.
The full conjugation of dejar — present, pretérito, subjunctive, and all forms — is in the MuyVerbs verb library at /spanish-verbs/dejar-conjugation/. If verb + infinitive combinations are a weak point in your Spanish, the MuyVerbs app drills exactly these patterns with spaced-repetition cards drawn from 3,028 real verbs — five minutes a day will lock in the distinction between dejar de and dejar within a week.
What is the difference between dejar de + infinitive and parar de + infinitive in Spanish?
Both mean 'to stop doing something,' but they differ in register and regional use. Dejar de + infinitive is the standard construction across all Spanish-speaking regions and all registers — formal, informal, written, and spoken. Parar de + infinitive is more colloquial and common in everyday speech in Spain, but less standard in Latin America and avoided in formal writing. Cesar de + infinitive is the literary alternative found in formal written texts. Dejar de is always the safe default.
When do I use dejar + infinitive versus dejar + que + subjunctive?
Both express permission or allowing. Use dejar + object pronoun + infinitive when the person being allowed appears as a clitic pronoun: no te dejo salir (I won't let you go out). Use dejar + que + present subjunctive when the allowed person appears as an explicit subject in a full subordinate clause: no dejo que mi hija salga sola (I don't let my daughter go out alone). Both constructions are grammatically correct. The pronoun + infinitive construction is more compact and colloquial; the que + subjunctive construction is more formal and explicit. In everyday speech both are common, and native speakers switch between them freely.
Can you use the gerundio after dejar de in Spanish?
No. After dejar de, Spanish always requires an infinitive — never a gerundio. English uses a gerund after 'stop' (stop smoking), but Spanish uses the infinitive: dejar de fumar, dejar de hablar, dejar de intentar. Forms like dejar de fumando or dejar de hablando are grammatically incorrect in every Spanish variety, with no regional exceptions. This rule is absolute. If you are used to saying 'stop doing' in English, remember to switch to the infinitive every time you use dejar de in Spanish.
What does 'no dejar de + infinitive' mean in Spanish?
When dejar de + infinitive is negated, the meaning inverts from stopping to persisting without interruption. No dejar de + infinitive means to keep doing something, to not stop, to do something relentlessly. No deja de llamar = he keeps calling / he won't stop calling. No puedo dejar de pensar = I can't stop thinking. A special use is no dejes de + infinitive in the imperative, which becomes a warm recommendation: no dejes de probar el ceviche = make sure you try the ceviche. This pattern is extremely common in friendly advice and travel recommendations.
What does 'dejarse llevar' mean in Spanish?
Dejarse llevar literally means 'to let oneself be carried,' and in use it means to go with the flow, to be swept away by emotion, to surrender to an impulse, or to follow the current rather than resist it. It can describe someone who acted impulsively under the influence of emotion — se dejó llevar por la ira (he let his anger take over) — or someone who relaxed and enjoyed an experience without overthinking it — nos dejamos llevar por la música (we let the music carry us). The reflexive se is essential; removing it changes the construction to 'to let someone be carried' rather than 'to let oneself be carried.'
What does 'dejar mucho que desear' mean in Spanish?
Dejar mucho que desear translates directly as 'to leave a lot to be desired' and is used in the same way as the English idiom — to say that something fell short of expectations. It is a polite but pointed way of expressing dissatisfaction: la actuación dejó mucho que desear (the performance was quite disappointing), el servicio deja bastante que desear (the service is rather lacking). The subject is whatever is being judged. The inverse, dejar poco que desear, means nearly perfect: deja poco que desear = there is very little room for improvement.
What does 'dejar caer' mean in Spanish?
Dejar caer has two distinct meanings. Literally, it means to drop something: se le resbaló el vaso y lo dejó caer (the glass slipped and she dropped it). Figuratively, it means to let something slip out, to casually mention something, or to drop a hint: dejó caer que pensaba dimitir (she let it slip that she was planning to resign), dejó caer una indirecta (he dropped a hint). The figurative meaning is very common in journalism and everyday speech when describing how information is revealed indirectly or deniably. It captures the idea of revealing something without quite saying it directly — you hold it and then let it fall into the conversation.