deshacerse de
/desaθeɾse de/from spelling rules
To get rid of in Spanish is deshacerse de.
Meaning: to rid (oneself) of (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
Because this is a reflexive verb, the pronoun must change to match the subject (me, te, se, nos, os, se) when you conjugate it. For example, the first-person singular present tense is me deshago de and the first-person singular preterite (past tense) is me deshice de.
How do you pronounce it?
/desaθeɾse de/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include the preposition de after the verb, but it is required before the object being discarded.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, using desaparecer instead of deshacerse de when referring to a person can imply a sinister or criminal act of making someone vanish.
- While English uses 'get rid of', the Spanish verb deshacer literally means 'to undo' or 'to unmake'. You are essentially 'unmaking yourself' from the object or person you wish to discard.
- While deshacerse de means to discard, using the verb deshacer without the reflexive pronoun is used for physically dismantling or breaking something down.
Examples in context
- Él quiere deshacerse de las hormigas.He wants to get rid of the ants.This sentence shows how to use deshacerse de regarding ants.Tatoeba #1492038 by marcelostockle, translation #1492039 by CK
- No es fácil deshacerse de los malos hábitos.It is not easy to get rid of bad habits.This sentence shows how to use deshacerse de regarding bad habits.Tatoeba #1598340 by marcelostockle, translation #28537 by CK
- Hacer amigos es fácil, pero es difícil deshacerse de ellos.It's easy to make friends, but hard to get rid of them.This sentence shows how to use deshacerse de regarding people.Tatoeba #668544 by Shishir, translation #667921 by CK
- Para mantener un hogar ordenado, es importante deshacerse de los objetos innecesarios.To keep a tidy home, it is important to get rid of unnecessary objects.
- A veces, la única solución es eliminar las malas influencias de nuestra vida.Sometimes, the only solution is to eliminate bad influences from our lives.
- Debemos descartar cualquier idea que no sea factible en este proyecto.We must discard any ideas that are not feasible in this project.
- Me voy a quitar de encima a todas las personas que solo me traen problemas.I'm going to get rid of all the people who only bring me problems.
- Tienes que deshacerte de estas viejas revistas, ya no te sirven.You have to get rid of these old magazines, they no longer serve you.
- Voy a desprenderme de todas estas cosas viejas que ya no necesito.I'm going to get rid of all these old things I no longer need.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are cleaning the garage together.
- DanielTengo que deshacerse de estas cajas viejas.I have to get rid of these old boxes.
- MaríaYo te ayudo a llevarlas a la basura.I will help you take them to the trash.
- DanielGracias, María. Quiero deshacerse de todo el montón.Thanks, María. I want to get rid of the whole pile.
- MaríaPerfecto, así tendremos más espacio aquí.Perfect, that way we will have more space here.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
