Español — dejar de + infinitive
The periphrasis dejar de + infinitive expresses stopping an action: Dejé de fumar means 'I stopped smoking'. In its negative form, no dejar de + infinitive expresses insistence or continuity: No dejes de llamarme means 'be sure to call me / don't fail to call me'.
How it works
Conjugate dejar and keep the infinitive after de: Dejó de llover ('it stopped raining'), Hemos dejado de vernos ('we've stopped seeing each other'). The negative reverses the meaning to insistence: No dejaba de reír ('she wouldn't stop laughing'), No dejen de probar el postre ('be sure to try the dessert').
Examples
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dejé de fumar hace un año. | I stopped smoking a year ago. |
| Dejó de llover por la tarde. | It stopped raining in the afternoon. |
| Deja de quejarte tanto. | Stop complaining so much. |
| No dejes de llamarme. | Be sure to call me. (don't fail to) |
| No dejaba de pensar en ti. | I couldn't stop thinking about you. |
| No dejen de visitar el museo. | Be sure to visit the museum. |
Good to know
Don't read the negative literally: No dejo de trabajar does not mean 'I don't stop working' as a report — it means 'I keep working / I work nonstop'. The two 'de' constructions also differ in sense: dejar de + inf = stop doing, while dejar + noun/pronoun = leave or lend (Dejé el libro, 'I left the book').