desmayar

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French esmaier (“to perturb”), from Latin *magāre, from Frankish *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą. Cognate with English dismay although a false friend. Compare Portuguese desmaiar. Doublet and related to esmayao "to be hungry, famished", from esmayar.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /desmaˈʝaɾ/ [d̪ez.maˈʝaɾ]

• IPA^(key): /desmaˈʝaɾ/ [d̪ez.maˈʝaɾ] (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /desmaˈʃaɾ/ [d̪ez.maˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /desmaˈʒaɾ/ [d̪ez.maˈʒaɾ] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: des‧ma‧yar

Verb

desmayar (first-person singular present desmayo, first-person singular preterite desmayé, past participle desmayado)

1. (transitive) to cause a person to faint
2. (intransitive, figurative) to dishearten
   • 1877, Benito Pérez Galdós, Gloria:

     Jamás desmayó en sus deberes de católico: jamás se dejó llevar a extremos de sutilezas y enrevesados simbolismos.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (pronominal) to faint (lose consciousness)

Usage notes

• Desmayar is a false friend and does not mean dismay. Spanish equivalents are shown in the "Translations" section of the English entry dismay.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of desmayar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			desmayar
gerund			desmayando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		desmayado		desmayada
		plural		desmayados		desmayadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	desmayo	desmayastú desmayásvos	desmaya	desmayamos	desmayáis	desmayan
	imperfect	desmayaba	desmayabas	desmayaba	desmayábamos	desmayabais	desmayaban
	preterite	desmayé	desmayaste	desmayó	desmayamos	desmayasteis	desmayaron
	future	desmayaré	desmayarás	desmayará	desmayaremos	desmayaréis	desmayarán
	conditional	desmayaría	desmayarías	desmayaría	desmayaríamos	desmayaríais	desmayarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	desmaye	desmayestú desmayésvos2	desmaye	desmayemos	desmayéis	desmayen
	imperfect (ra)	desmayara	desmayaras	desmayara	desmayáramos	desmayarais	desmayaran
	imperfect (se)	desmayase	desmayases	desmayase	desmayásemos	desmayaseis	desmayasen
	future1	desmayare	desmayares	desmayare	desmayáremos	desmayareis	desmayaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		desmayatú desmayávos	desmaye	desmayemos	desmayad	desmayen
	negative		no desmayes	no desmaye	no desmayemos	no desmayéis	no desmayen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of desmayar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive desmayar	dative	desmayarme	desmayarte	desmayarle, desmayarse	desmayarnos	desmayaros	desmayarles, desmayarse
	accusative	desmayarme	desmayarte	desmayarlo, desmayarla, desmayarse	desmayarnos	desmayaros	desmayarlos, desmayarlas, desmayarse
with gerund desmayando	dative	desmayándome	desmayándote	desmayándole, desmayándose	desmayándonos	desmayándoos	desmayándoles, desmayándose
	accusative	desmayándome	desmayándote	desmayándolo, desmayándola, desmayándose	desmayándonos	desmayándoos	desmayándolos, desmayándolas, desmayándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative desmaya	dative	desmáyame	desmáyate	desmáyale	desmáyanos	not used	desmáyales
	accusative	desmáyame	desmáyate	desmáyalo, desmáyala	desmáyanos	not used	desmáyalos, desmáyalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative desmayá	dative	desmayame	desmayate	desmayale	desmayanos	not used	desmayales
	accusative	desmayame	desmayate	desmayalo, desmayala	desmayanos	not used	desmayalos, desmayalas
with formal second-person singular imperative desmaye	dative	desmáyeme	not used	desmáyele, desmáyese	desmáyenos	not used	desmáyeles
	accusative	desmáyeme	not used	desmáyelo, desmáyela, desmáyese	desmáyenos	not used	desmáyelos, desmáyelas
with first-person plural imperative desmayemos	dative	not used	desmayémoste	desmayémosle	desmayémonos	desmayémoos	desmayémosles
	accusative	not used	desmayémoste	desmayémoslo, desmayémosla	desmayémonos	desmayémoos	desmayémoslos, desmayémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative desmayad	dative	desmayadme	not used	desmayadle	desmayadnos	desmayaos	desmayadles
	accusative	desmayadme	not used	desmayadlo, desmayadla	desmayadnos	desmayaos	desmayadlos, desmayadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative desmayen	dative	desmáyenme	not used	desmáyenle	desmáyennos	not used	desmáyenles, desmáyense
	accusative	desmáyenme	not used	desmáyenlo, desmáyenla	desmáyennos	not used	desmáyenlos, desmáyenlas, desmáyense

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) esmayar

Related terms

• desmayo

Further reading

• “desmayar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025