Dejar de + Infinitive

Dejar de + infinitive means “to stop doing something” or “to no longer do something.”

• Dejé de fumar. — I stopped smoking.
• Ha dejado de llover. — It has stopped raining.
• Quiero dejar de comer tanta azúcar. — I want to stop eating so much sugar.

The structure is:

dejar de + infinitive

How to use dejar de + infinitive

Conjugate dejar and keep the second verb in the infinitive.

• Dejo de trabajar a las seis. — I stop working at six.
• Ana dejó de estudiar francés. — Ana stopped studying French.
• Mis padres han dejado de vivir allí. — My parents no longer live there.
• Tienes que dejar de preocuparte tanto. — You need to stop worrying so much.

Do not conjugate both verbs.

• ❌ Dejó de fumó.
• ✅ Dejó de fumar.

Dejar de can mean “no longer”

In many sentences, English naturally translates dejar de + infinitive as “no longer” or “stop.”

• Dejó de trabajar aquí. — He stopped working here. / He no longer works here.
• Ya no hablamos. — We do not talk anymore.
• Dejamos de hablar. — We stopped talking.

The meaning is similar, but the focus is slightly different:

• ya no + verb describes the current situation
• dejar de + infinitive emphasizes that an activity ended

Dejar de vs. terminar de

These two structures are different.

Dejar de + infinitive means to stop doing something, often before or regardless of whether the activity was completed.

• Dejé de leer el libro. — I stopped reading the book.

Terminar de + infinitive means to finish doing something.

• Terminé de leer el libro. — I finished reading the book.

Compare:

• Dejó de estudiar. — She stopped studying.
• Terminó de estudiar. — She finished studying.

See also Common Spanish Verb Periphrases.

Common expressions

You will often hear dejar de with everyday activities:

• dejar de fumar — to stop smoking
• dejar de trabajar — to stop working
• dejar de hablar — to stop talking
• dejar de llorar — to stop crying
• dejar de preocuparse — to stop worrying
• dejar de usar algo — to stop using something

Examples:

• Quiero dejar de fumar. — I want to stop smoking.
• El niño dejó de llorar. — The child stopped crying.
• Nunca deja de hablar. — He never stops talking.
• He dejado de usar esa aplicación. — I have stopped using that app.

No dejar de + infinitive

No dejar de + infinitive can mean “not stop doing something” or “keep doing something.”

• No deja de hablar. — He does not stop talking.
• No ha dejado de llover en todo el día. — It has not stopped raining all day.

In some contexts, especially recommendations or reminders, no dejes de + infinitive can mean “be sure to” or “don’t fail to.”

• No dejes de visitar el centro. — Be sure to visit the city center.

This use is useful, but less important than the basic A2 meaning of “stop doing.”

Common mistake

Remember the preposition de.

• ❌ Dejó fumar.
• ✅ Dejó de fumar.

The pattern is always:

dejar de + infinitive

Quick rule

dejar de + infinitive = stop doing something

• dejar de fumar — stop smoking
• dejar de trabajar — stop working
• dejar de hablar — stop talking
• dejar de preocuparse — stop worrying