Deixar
to leave / to let / to allow
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | deixo | Eu deixo as chaves na mesma gaveta sempre. — I always leave the keys in the same drawer. |
| você/ele/ela | deixa | Ela deixa os filhos brincarem no parque. — She lets the children play in the park. |
| nós | deixamos | Nós deixamos tudo para a última hora às vezes. — We sometimes leave everything to the last minute. |
| eles/elas | deixam | Eles deixam a porta aberta o tempo todo. — They leave the door open all the time. |
My mum has a golden rule: she never leaves the kitchen dirty before going to bed. I sometimes do — and she knows, without even looking. We leave the past behind when it no longer serves us. The best parents let their children make mistakes — that's how you learn.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | deixei | Eu deixei o guarda-chuva no ônibus. — I left my umbrella on the bus. |
| você/ele/ela | deixou | Ela deixou tudo organizado antes de sair. — She left everything organised before leaving. |
| nós | deixamos | Nós deixamos ele falar sem interromper. — We let him speak without interrupting. |
| eles/elas | deixaram | Eles deixaram a festa antes do fim. — They left the party before the end. |
The meeting was intense. I left my pride aside and apologised first. My colleague left the room halfway through — couldn't take the pressure. We left the final decision for the next day, with cooler heads. The directors let the team speak before concluding anything.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | deixava | Eu deixava a janela aberta a noite toda no verão. — I used to leave the window open all night in summer. |
| você/ele/ela | deixava | Ela deixava recado na secretária eletrônica. — She used to leave messages on the answering machine. |
| nós | deixávamos | Nós deixávamos as bicicletas na calçada sem cadeado. — We used to leave our bikes on the pavement unlocked. |
| eles/elas | deixavam | Eles deixavam as crianças soltas no quintal. — They used to let the children roam free in the garden. |
Childhood had more freedom. I used to leave my school bag on the pavement and go play. My mum used to let me go out without a fixed time to come back — as long as it was before dark. We used to leave the doors unlocked all day. The neighbours used to let the children from all the houses play together — the street belonged to everyone.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou deixar | Vou deixar um recado para ela. — I'm going to leave a message for her. |
| você/ele/ela | vai deixar | Ela vai deixar o emprego no fim do mês. — She's going to leave the job at the end of the month. |
| nós | vamos deixar | Vamos deixar ele decidir sozinho dessa vez. — We're going to let him decide on his own this time. |
| eles/elas | vão deixar | Eles vão deixar os filhos escolherem a faculdade. — They're going to let the children choose their own university. |
I made a big decision. I'm going to leave the flat and move to the countryside. My boyfriend is going to leave his job too — we decided together. We're going to take the good the city taught us and leave the rest. Our friends are going to leave the door of longing open — and that's the greatest gift.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | deixarei | Deixarei as instruções por escrito antes de viajar. — I will leave the instructions in writing before travelling. |
| você/ele/ela | deixará | Ela deixará um legado duradouro. — She will leave a lasting legacy. |
| nós | deixaremos | Deixaremos o mundo melhor do que encontramos. — We will leave the world better than we found it. |
| eles/elas | deixarão | Eles deixarão os registros disponíveis ao público. — They will leave the records available to the public. |
The will was read with solemnity: "The foundation will leave all its assets to educational institutions. We will leave a permanent fund for scholarships. The heirs will leave administrative decisions to the elected board. I will leave a personal letter for each of the beneficiaries."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | deixaria | Eu deixaria tudo para morar perto do mar. — I would leave everything to live by the sea. |
| você/ele/ela | deixaria | Ela deixaria ele ir se confiasse mais. — She would let him go if she trusted more. |
| nós | deixaríamos | Deixaríamos as crianças ficarem acordadas mais tarde. — We would let the children stay up later. |
| eles/elas | deixariam | Eles deixariam entrar se você pedisse com educação. — They would let you in if you asked politely. |
If fear didn't speak so loudly, everything would be different. I would let life surprise me more. My friend Sônia would leave the relationship that hasn't been good for her for years. We would let children make more mistakes — and learn more. People would stop pretending they're fine — and the world would breathe more deeply.
Deixar across the tenses
A short story using deixar in multiple tenses
Meu pai nunca deixava a mesa sem agradecer. Deixava sempre um espaço para quem chegasse de improviso — havia um prato a mais, por via das dúvidas. Os vizinhos deixavam os filhos jantarem lá quando o trabalho atrasava.
Hoje ele mora sozinho, mas o hábito deixa marcas. Ontem deixou a porta aberta quando soube que eu passaria. Deixamos a conversa durar até meia-noite — sem pressa, sem lugar para chegar.
No próximo Natal, vai deixar o apartamento aberto para quem quiser vir. "Se eu puder, deixarei sempre um lugar na mesa," ele diz.
Perguntei se deixaria esse hábito algum dia. Ele olhou como se a pergunta não fizesse sentido: "Deixaria muita coisa na vida. Mas essa mesa aberta — jamais."
My dad never used to leave the table without giving thanks. He always used to leave space for whoever might arrive unannounced — there was an extra plate, just in case. The neighbours used to let their children have dinner there when work ran late. Today he lives alone, but the habit leaves its marks. Yesterday he left the door open when he knew I'd be passing by. We let the conversation go until midnight — no rush, nowhere to be. This Christmas, he's going to leave his flat open for whoever wants to come. "If I can, I will always leave a place at the table," he says. I asked if he would ever leave that habit behind. He looked at me as if the question made no sense: "I would leave many things in life. But that open table — never."
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