Conjugation of "Desistir" In Spanish

Spanish -  · Updated July 2026

Conjugation of "Desistir" In Spanish

Desistir is a versatile Spanish verb that can be used in various contexts to convey the meaning of verbs such as "to give up," "resign," or "waive." Whether you are learning Spanish as a beginner or looking to expand your conjugation skills, understanding how to properly conjugate "renunciar" is essential. In this article, we will provide you with a verb chart that covers all the main tenses and moods of "renunciar" to help you navigate its conjugation.

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Forms of "Desistir" in Spanish

In Spanish, verbs play a fundamental role in expressing actions, states, and conditions. Verbs are highly versatile and can take on different forms based on the subject, mood, and tense. The moods of conjugation in Spanish include the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative. When it comes to tenses in Spanish, they indicate the time and duration of an action. The tenses include the present, preterite, imperfect, future, imperative, and conditional. Let us now explain how to conjugate "desistir" in different tenses and moods.  

Indicative Mood: Simple Tenses

Present

  • Yo desisto
  • Tú desistes
  • Él/Ella/Usted desiste
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistimos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistís
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desisten

Imperfect Past

  • Yo desistía
  • Tú desistías
  • Él/Ella/Usted desistía
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistíamos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistíais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistían

Simple Past

  • Yo desistí
  • Tú desististe
  • Él/Ella/Usted desistió
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistimos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desististeis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistieron

Future

  • Yo desistiré
  • Tú desistirás
  • Él/Ella/Usted desistirá
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistiremos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistiréis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistirán

Indicative Mood: Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect

  • Yo he desistido
  • Tú has desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted ha desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras hemos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras habéis desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes han desistido

Past Perfect

  • Yo había desistido
  • Tú habías desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted había desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras habíamos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras habíais desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes habían desistido

Future Perfect

  • Yo habré desistido
  • Tú habrás desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted habrá desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras habremos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras habréis desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes habrán desistido

Indicative Mood: Progressive Tenses

Present Progressive

  • Yo estoy desistiendo
  • Tú estás desistiendo
  • Él/Ella/Usted está desistiendo
  • Nosotros/Nosotras estamos desistiendo
  • Vosotros/Vosotras estáis desistiendo
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes están desistiendo

Past Progressive

  • Yo estaba desistiendo
  • Tú estabas desistiendo
  • Él/Ella/Usted estaba desistiendo
  • Nosotros/Nosotras estábamos desistiendo
  • Vosotros/Vosotras estabais desistiendo
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes estaban desistiendo

—The substantive, adjective, and verb forms related with “desistir” (waiver, to waive, waived, resign, resignation, giving up, to give up) are analyzed in other MostUsedWords.com blog posts.

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Subjunctive Mood: Simple Tenses

Present Subjunctive

  • Yo desista
  • Tú desistas
  • Él/Ella/Usted desista
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistamos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistáis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistan

Imperfect Subjunctive

  • Yo desistiera/desistiese
  • Tú desistieras/desistieses
  • Él/Ella/Usted desistiera/desistiese
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistiéramos/desistiésemos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistierais/desistieseis
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistieran/desistiesen

Subjunctive Mood: Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect Subjunctive

  • Yo haya desistido
  • Tú hayas desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted haya desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras hayamos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras hayáis desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hayan desistido

Past Perfect Subjunctive

  • Yo hubiera/hubiese desistido
  • Tú hubieras/hubieses desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted hubiera/hubiese desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras hubiéramos/hubiésemos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras hubierais/hubieseis desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hubieran/hubiesen desistido

Imperative Mood

Imperative Affirmative

  • Tú desiste
  • Usted desista
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistamos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistid
  • Ustedes desistan

Imperative Negative

  • Tú no desistas
  • Usted no desista
  • Nosotros/Nosotras no desistamos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras no desistáis
  • Ustedes no desistan
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Conditional Mood

Conditional

  • Yo desistiría
  • Tú desistirías
  • Él/Ella/Usted desistiría
  • Nosotros/Nosotras desistiríamos
  • Vosotros/Vosotras desistiríais
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes desistirían

Conditional Compound

  • Yo habría desistido
  • Tú habrías desistido
  • Él/Ella/Usted habría desistido
  • Nosotros/Nosotras habríamos desistido
  • Vosotros/Vosotras habríais desistido
  • Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes habrían desistido

Unconjugated Forms

Infinitive

  • Desistir

Gerund

  • Desistiendo

Participle

  • Desistido

Example Sentences

See how "desistir" is used in real Spanish contexts:

Spanish English
No pude desistir de mi idea, a pesar de las dificultades. I couldn't give up on my idea despite the difficulties.
Ella decidió que no iba a desistir fácilmente en su carrera. She decided she wasn't going to give up easily in her career.
No me rindo, pero estoy considerando la posibilidad de desistir. I'm not giving up yet, but I am considering the possibility of quitting.
Después de años de lucha, finalmente desistí de mi antiguo trabajo. After years of struggle, I finally gave up my old job.
No quiero que te desistas por un pequeño contratiempo. I don't want you to give up because of a small setback.
Han decidido desistir de su proyecto debido a la falta de apoyo financiero. They have decided to abandon their project due to lack of financial support.

Usage Notes

"Desistir" is a Spanish verb that means "to give up," "to renounce," or "to abandon." It's an irregular verb, with changes in the stem and endings across different conjugations. For instance, it doesn't follow the standard patterns of regular verbs like "-ar," "-er," or "-ir." Common phrases using this verb include "desistir de algo" (give up on something) and "desistir en hacer algo" (give up doing something). The verb can be used in both formal and informal contexts, depending on the situation. To expand your vocabulary further and deepen your understanding of Spanish usage, consider exploring Spanish Frequency Dictionaries.

Conclusion

Mastering the conjugation of the Spanish verb "desistir" is crucial for effective communication in various situations. By referring to the verb chart provided in this article, you now have a comprehensive guide to help you conjugate "desistir" accurately in different tenses and moods. Remember to practice these conjugations regularly to reinforce your understanding and fluency in Spanish. Additionally, we have also included the verb "desistir" in its infinitive, gerund, and participle forms for your reference. Keep up the practice, and soon you will be confidently using these verbs in your conversations and writing. ¡Buena suerte!


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