despistar

Catalan

Etymology

From des- +‎ pista +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Verb

despistar (first-person singular present despisto, first-person singular preterite despistí, past participle despistat)

1. (transitive) to throw off the trail
2. (transitive, figurative) to mislead

   Synonyms: desorientar, desconcertar

3. (pronominal) to lose the trail, to go astray
4. (pronominal, figurative) to get confused, distracted

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of despistar (first conjugation)

infinitive			despistar
gerund			despistant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		despistat		despistada
		plural		despistats		despistades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	despisto	despistes	despista	despistem	despisteu	despisten
	imperfect	despistava	despistaves	despistava	despistàvem	despistàveu	despistaven
	future	despistaré	despistaràs	despistarà	despistarem	despistareu	despistaran
	preterite	despistí	despistares	despistà	despistàrem	despistàreu	despistaren
	conditional	despistaria	despistaries	despistaria	despistaríem	despistaríeu	despistarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	despisti	despistis	despisti	despistem	despisteu	despistin
	imperfect	despistés	despistessis	despistés	despistéssim	despistéssiu	despistessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	despista	despisti	despistem	despisteu	despistin
	negative (no)	—	no despistis	no despisti	no despistem	no despisteu	no despistin

Derived terms

• despistament
• despistat

Further reading

• “despistar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is-

Proto-Italic *dis-

Latin dis-

Old Galician-Portuguese des-

Portuguese des-

Portuguese pista

Portuguese -ar

▲

Latin dis-

Old French des-

Middle French des-

Proto-Indo-European *de

Proto-Indo-European *-h₁

Proto-Indo-European *déh₁

Proto-Italic *dē

Latin dē

Latin dē-lbor.

French dé-

French piste

Proto-Italic *-āzi

▲

Latin -ereinflu.

Latin -āre

Old French -ier

Middle French -er

French -er

French dépisterder.

Portuguese despistar

From des- + pista + -ar, or from French dépister.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /des.pisˈta(ʁ)/ [des.pisˈta(h)], /d͡ʒis.pisˈta(ʁ)/ [d͡ʒis.pisˈta(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /des.pisˈta(ʁ)/ [des.pisˈta(h)], /d͡ʒis.pisˈta(ʁ)/ [d͡ʒis.pisˈta(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /des.pisˈta(ɾ)/, /d͡ʒis.pisˈta(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /deʃ.piʃˈta(ʁ)/ [deʃ.piʃˈta(χ)], /d͡ʒiʃ.piʃˈta(ʁ)/ [d͡ʒiʃ.piʃˈta(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /des.pisˈta(ɻ)/, /d͡ʒis.pisˈta(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨʃ.piʃˈtaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨʃ.piʃˈtaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨʃ.piʃˈta.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: des‧pis‧tar

Verb

despistar (first-person singular present despisto, first-person singular preterite despistei, past participle despistado)

1. (transitive) to throw off track, to misguide, to lead astray
2. (transitive, figurative) to disorient

   Synonyms: desnortear, desorientar

3. (pronominal, also figurative) to get lost

Conjugation

    Conjugation of despistar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	despistar
Personal	despistar	despistares	despistar	despistarmos	despistardes	despistarem
Gerund
	despistando
Past participle
Masculine	despistado			despistados
Feminine	despistada			despistadas
Indicative
Present	despisto	despistas	despista	despistamos	despistais	despistam
Imperfect	despistava	despistavas	despistava	despistávamos	despistáveis	despistavam
Preterite	despistei	despistaste	despistou	despistamos1, despistámos2	despistastes	despistaram
Pluperfect	despistara	despistaras	despistara	despistáramos	despistáreis	despistaram
Future	despistarei	despistarás	despistará	despistaremos	despistareis	despistarão
Conditional	despistaria	despistarias	despistaria	despistaríamos	despistaríeis	despistariam
Subjunctive
Present	despiste	despistes	despiste	despistemos	despisteis	despistem
Imperfect	despistasse	despistasses	despistasse	despistássemos	despistásseis	despistassem
Future	despistar	despistares	despistar	despistarmos	despistardes	despistarem
Imperative
Affirmative		despista	despiste	despistemos	despistai	despistem
Negative (não)		não despistes	não despiste	não despistemos	não despisteis	não despistem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “despistar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “despistar”, in Dicionário Infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “despistar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁

▲

Proto-Indo-European *trísinflu.

Proto-Indo-European *d(w)is-

Proto-Italic *dis-

Latin dis-

Old Spanish des-

Spanish des-

Italian pistabor.

Spanish pista

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -āre

Old Spanish -ar

Spanish -ar

Spanish despistar

From des- + pista + -ar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /despisˈtaɾ/ [d̪es.pisˈt̪aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: des‧pis‧tar

Verb

despistar (first-person singular present despisto, first-person singular preterite despisté, past participle despistado)

1. (transitive) to throw off track
2. (transitive, figurative) to disorient

   Synonyms: confundir, desorientar

3. (reflexive, figurative) to get distracted, to fall asleep

Conjugation

    Conjugation of despistar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			despistar
gerund			despistando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		despistado		despistada
		plural		despistados		despistadas
		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	despisto	despistastú despistásvos	despista	despistamos	despistáis	despistan
	imperfect	despistaba	despistabas	despistaba	despistábamos	despistabais	despistaban
	preterite	despisté	despistaste	despistó	despistamos	despistasteis	despistaron
	future	despistaré	despistarás	despistará	despistaremos	despistaréis	despistarán
	conditional	despistaría	despistarías	despistaría	despistaríamos	despistaríais	despistarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	despiste	despistestú despistésvos2	despiste	despistemos	despistéis	despisten
	imperfect (ra)	despistara	despistaras	despistara	despistáramos	despistarais	despistaran
	imperfect (se)	despistase	despistases	despistase	despistásemos	despistaseis	despistasen
	future1	despistare	despistares	despistare	despistáremos	despistareis	despistaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		despistatú despistávos	despiste	despistemos	despistad	despisten
	negative		no despistes	no despiste	no despistemos	no despistéis	no despisten

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

    Selected combined forms of despistar

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 despistar	dative	despistarme	despistarte	despistarle, despistarse	despistarnos	despistaros	despistarles, despistarse
	accusative	despistarme	despistarte	despistarlo, despistarla, despistarse	despistarnos	despistaros	despistarlos, despistarlas, despistarse
with gerund despistando	dative	despistándome	despistándote	despistándole, despistándose	despistándonos	despistándoos	despistándoles, despistándose
	accusative	despistándome	despistándote	despistándolo, despistándola, despistándose	despistándonos	despistándoos	despistándolos, despistándolas, despistándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative despista	dative	despístame	despístate	despístale	despístanos	not used	despístales
	accusative	despístame	despístate	despístalo, despístala	despístanos	not used	despístalos, despístalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative despistá	dative	despistame	despistate	despistale	despistanos	not used	despistales
	accusative	despistame	despistate	despistalo, despistala	despistanos	not used	despistalos, despistalas
with formal second-person singular imperative despiste	dative	despísteme	not used	despístele, despístese	despístenos	not used	despísteles
	accusative	despísteme	not used	despístelo, despístela, despístese	despístenos	not used	despístelos, despístelas
with first-person plural imperative despistemos	dative	not used	despistémoste	despistémosle	despistémonos	despistémoos	despistémosles
	accusative	not used	despistémoste	despistémoslo, despistémosla	despistémonos	despistémoos	despistémoslos, despistémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative despistad	dative	despistadme	not used	despistadle	despistadnos	despistaos	despistadles
	accusative	despistadme	not used	despistadlo, despistadla	despistadnos	despistaos	despistadlos, despistadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative despisten	dative	despístenme	not used	despístenle	despístennos	not used	despístenles, despístense
	accusative	despístenme	not used	despístenlo, despístenla	despístennos	not used	despístenlos, despístenlas, despístense

Derived terms

• despistado

Further reading

• “despistar”, 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