Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| desoír | /desoˈiɾ/ |
| no tener en cuenta | /no teneɾ en kwenta/ (from spelling rules) |
| ningunear | /ninɡuneˈaɾ/ |
| abstraer(se) de |
Depending on the context, there are several ways to express disregard. Use desoír when someone ignores spoken advice, a warning or an order. Use no tener en cuenta or no tomar en cuenta to express the act of disregarding a fact, a detail or a suggestion. If you are mentally detaching yourself from your surroundings or a specific situation, use the reflexive form abstraer(se) de. If you are disregarding a person's value or presence specifically, use ningunear.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb desoír is composed of the prefix des- (undoing/reversing) and oír (to hear), which literally means to un-hear or fail to hear/listen to something.
Which one should you use?
While desoír is a formal way to say one ignores advice or a command, ningunear is a more colloquial term used specifically when one disregards a person's value or presence. Additionally, no tener en cuenta is used for facts or details, whereas desoír is most commonly used when the object being disregarded is something spoken.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase no tener en cuenta is a common periphrasis used to express the act of disregarding a fact, a detail or a suggestion. When you want to describe the act of mentally detaching oneself from a situation, use the reflexive form abstraerse de.
How do you pronounce it?
/desoˈiɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb tener comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ten-, which meant 'to stretch'. This makes it a distant relative of English words like 'tension' and 'tent'.
- The term ningunear is particularly common in Latin American Spanish to describe social belittling, whereas in Spain it may be used less frequently for the same social context.
- While ningunear means to disregard a person, the suffix -ear is often used in Spanish to create colloquial verbs from nouns, turning a person's status into an action.
Examples in context
- Por favor, ignora los comentarios negativos y concéntrate en tu trabajo.Please disregard the negative comments and focus on your work.
- Es fundamental desestimar los rumores infundados y basarse en los hechos.It's crucial to disregard baseless rumors and rely on facts.
- Le ruego que no tome en cuenta las acusaciones sin fundamento.I urge you to disregard the unfounded accusations.
- No le des importancia a esos comentarios, simplemente haz caso omiso.Don't pay attention to those comments, just disregard them.
- No te preocupes por ese detalle, puedes pasarlo por alto.Don't worry about that detail, you can disregard it.
- Le ruego encarecidamente que ignore esas acusaciones infundadas.I earnestly request that you disregard those baseless accusations.
- En este caso, la mejor opción es tomar distancia y no darle importancia.In this case, the best option is to distance yourself and not give it importance.
- Él decidió desoír todas mis advertencias.He decided to disregard all my warnings.
- Es peligroso desoír las órdenes del capitán.It is dangerous to disregard the captain's orders.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing a project at work.
- MaríaMateo, ¿leíste el correo sobre los cambios?Mateo, did you read the email about the changes?
- MateoSí, pero preferí desoír esas instrucciones.Yes, but I preferred to disregard those instructions.
- MaríaNo deberías hacer eso, es importante.You shouldn't do that, it is important.
- MateoTienes razón, voy a revisarlas ahora.You are right, I am going to review them now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “disregard” translations and entries desoír, ningunear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuenta, de, desoír, en, ningunear, no, tener, CC BY-SA 4.0.
