What's the difference between dejar + infinitive and dejar de + infinitive?

Dejar + infinitive = let / allow (Déjame ver = let me see). Dejar DE + infinitive = stop doing (Deja de hablar = stop talking). The preposition de completely changes the meaning. Without de = permission; with de = cessation.

How do I form the imperative of dejar?

Affirmative tú: déjame, déjalo, déjanos (pronoun attaches with accent). Affirmative usted: déjeme, déjelo, déjenos. Negative tú: no me dejes, no lo dejes. Negative usted: no me deje, no lo deje. The pronoun attaches in affirmative, precedes in negative.

What's the difference between dejar and permitir?

Both mean to let / allow. Dejar is more colloquial and frequent; permitir is more formal. Permitir is more common in written contexts and official communication. Both follow the same structure: + indirect object + infinitive (or que + subjunctive).

How can I learn dejar + infinitive naturally?

Permission and allowance are constant in conversation, especially in family and social contexts. Parrot's short-form videos surface me deja salir / déjame ver / no le dejes entrar in real exchanges, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Dejar + Infinitive: How to Say Let / Allow in Spanish

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Periphrastic where dejar + infinitive means to let / allow / permit someone to do. Conjugate dejar (regular -ar verb) in any tense and follow with an infinitive (no preposition). Distinct from dejar de + infinitive (stop doing).

Mi madre me deja salir tarde.

My mother lets me stay out late.

What it is

Dejar + infinitive (without any preposition) means to let or allow someone to do something. Conjugate dejar in any tense, then follow with the infinitive directly. The person being allowed is usually expressed with an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les).

In Mi madre me deja salir tarde (My mother lets me stay out late), me is the indirect object (me / to me), deja is the present 3rd person of dejar, and salir is the infinitive.

How to spot it

Look for dejar + infinitive (no de). The indirect object pronoun (me / te / le / nos / os / les) indicates who is being allowed. Distinct from dejar de + infinitive (stop doing), where de + infinitive is mandatory.

Déjame entrar. — Let me in.
Les dejé usar mi coche. — I let them use my car.
No te dejan llegar tarde. — They don't let you arrive late.

Dejar + infinitive (let) vs. dejar de + infinitive (stop doing) are completely different constructions despite sharing the verb dejar. The preposition de is the key difference.

Dejar + Infinitive (Let / Allow) Quick Reference

Dejar + infinitive (let) across tenses

Tense	yo form	Meaning
Present	dejo + IOP + inf.	I let...
Preterite	dejé + IOP + inf.	I let...
Imperfect	dejaba + IOP + inf.	I let / used to let...
Future	dejaré + IOP + inf.	I'll let...
Subjunctive	deje + IOP + inf.	(that) I let...
Command (affirmative tú)	déjame + inf.	Let me...
Command (negative tú)	no me dejes + inf.	Don't let me...

Common Dejar + Infinitive (Let / Allow) Examples in Spanish

Dejar + infinitive expresses permission, allowing, or letting. Common in parent-child contexts, social interactions, and decisions about what someone can do.

Permission and Allowance

Mi padre me deja conducir su coche.: My dad lets me drive his car.
Le dejaron usar el teléfono.: They let her use the phone.
¿Te dejan ir solo?: Do they let you go alone?
Nos dejaron entrar gratis.: They let us in for free.
El profesor nos dejó salir temprano.: The teacher let us leave early.

Most common context: someone in authority (parent, boss, teacher) permits an action.

Imperative: Déjame / Déjalo

Déjame en paz.: Leave me in peace.
Déjame ayudarte.: Let me help you.
Déjala hablar.: Let her talk.
Déjenlo entrar.: Let him in.
Déjame ver.: Let me see.

Imperative déjame / déjalo / déjenlo + infinitive are very common in conversation for requests and instructions.

Negative: Don't Let

No me dejes esperar.: Don't make me wait.
No les dejes entrar.: Don't let them in.
No me dejes solo.: Don't leave me alone.
No le dejes hacer eso.: Don't let him do that.
Nunca te dejaré llorar sola.: I'll never let you cry alone.

Negative commands and statements about not letting / not allowing are common.

Comparison: Dejar vs. Permitir

Mi madre me deja salir. = Mi madre me permite salir.: My mother lets / permits me to leave.
Te dejé hablar. = Te permití hablar.: I let / allowed you to speak.
No te dejarán entrar. = No te permitirán entrar.: They won't let / permit you in.
Déjame intentarlo. = Permíteme intentarlo.: Let me try. / Allow me to try.
Nos dejan grabar. = Nos permiten grabar.: They let / allow us to record.

Dejar is colloquial; permitir is more formal but means the same. Both follow the same structure: + indirect object pronoun + infinitive.

How Dejar + Infinitive Works

Structure: Dejar + IOP + Infinitive

Conjugate dejar in any tense, add the indirect object pronoun (me / te / le / nos / os / les) for the person being allowed, then the infinitive. No preposition between dejar and the infinitive.

Dejar + me + ver = déjame ver / me deja ver.

Pronoun + infinitive form.

Dejar + IOP + infinitive. No de.

Don't Confuse with Dejar De

Dejar + infinitive = let / allow. Dejar DE + infinitive = stop doing. The preposition de completely changes the meaning. Without de = allow; with de = stop.

Me deja salir (lets me leave). Dejé de salir (stopped going out).

De flips the meaning.

No de = let. With de = stop.

Imperative Forms

Imperative dejar with attached pronoun: déjame (let me), déjalo (let him), déjanos (let us). The pronoun attaches to the affirmative command. For negative, the pronoun goes before: no me dejes (don't let me).

déjame, déjalo, déjenlo, no me dejes.

Pronoun attaches in affirmative; precedes in negative.

Affirmative: attached. Negative: before.

Permitir as Formal Synonym

Permitir + indirect object + infinitive (or que + subjunctive) means the same as dejar + infinitive. Permitir is more formal; dejar is colloquial. Both are correct.

Me deja entrar = Me permite entrar.

Synonyms with different formality.

Dejar = casual. Permitir = formal.

Common Mistakes with Dejar + Infinitive (Let / Allow)

Incorrect: Mi madre me deja de salir. — My mother lets me go out. (wrong, extra de)

Correct: Mi madre me deja salir. — My mother lets me go out.

Dejar + infinitive (let / allow) does NOT take de. Dejar DE + infinitive means stop doing, which would change the meaning to my mother stops me from going out (which would be wrong word order anyway).

Incorrect: Mi madre deja yo salir. — My mother lets me go out. (wrong, subject pronoun used instead of IOP)

Correct: Mi madre me deja salir. — My mother lets me go out.

In Spanish, the person being allowed is expressed with an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les), not a subject pronoun (yo, tú, él). Subject pronouns refer to the subject of the verb, not the recipient of the permission.

Incorrect: Dejame entrar. — Let me in. (wrong, missing accent on déjame)

Correct: Déjame entrar. — Let me in.

When a pronoun attaches to a command, an accent is often required to preserve the stress. Déjame keeps the stress on the original syllable; dejame would shift the stress incorrectly.

Dejar + Infinitive (Let / Allow) FAQs

How do I say let or allow someone to do something in Spanish?: Dejar + indirect object pronoun + infinitive. Conjugate dejar in any tense, add the pronoun (me, te, le, nos, os, les) for the person being allowed, then the infinitive. Me dejan entrar (They let me in). Te dejo hablar (I let you speak).
What's the difference between dejar + infinitive and dejar de + infinitive?: Dejar + infinitive = let / allow (Déjame ver = let me see). Dejar DE + infinitive = stop doing (Deja de hablar = stop talking). The preposition de completely changes the meaning. Without de = permission; with de = cessation.
How do I form the imperative of dejar?: Affirmative tú: déjame, déjalo, déjanos (pronoun attaches with accent). Affirmative usted: déjeme, déjelo, déjenos. Negative tú: no me dejes, no lo dejes. Negative usted: no me deje, no lo deje. The pronoun attaches in affirmative, precedes in negative.
What's the difference between dejar and permitir?: Both mean to let / allow. Dejar is more colloquial and frequent; permitir is more formal. Permitir is more common in written contexts and official communication. Both follow the same structure: + indirect object + infinitive (or que + subjunctive).
How can I learn dejar + infinitive naturally?: Permission and allowance are constant in conversation, especially in family and social contexts. Parrot's short-form videos surface me deja salir / déjame ver / no le dejes entrar in real exchanges, so the construction becomes automatic with exposure.