Deixo

Deixo is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Portuguese verb deixar, meaning to leave, to let, or to allow. It is used to indicate placing something somewhere, permitting an action, or expressing cessation when used with the construction deixar de + infinitive.

Common uses include leaving or placing objects: eu deixo o livro na mesa (I leave the book on the table). It can express permission or allowance: eu deixo que você vá (I let you go). It can also denote leaving someone or something behind in a literal sense: ela deixou o filho em casa (she left her child at home). When combined with the preposition de and an infinitive, deixar de conveys cessation or abandonment of an activity: eu deixo de fumar (I quit smoking).

Conjugation and regional variation: In European Portuguese, the present tense forms are eu deixo, tu deixas, ele/ela deixa, nós deixamos, vós deixais, eles deixam. In Brazilian Portuguese, the common form is eu deixo, você deixa, nós deixamos, vocês deixam, with tu and vós used less frequently. Dejar is often accompanied by pronouns and prepositions to express nuanced meanings, such as deixar isso claro (to make this clear) or deixar de lado (to set aside).

Etymology: deixar derives from Latin dēicere, through Old Portuguese, and has developed into a broad range of senses related to permitting, placing, and ceasing.

See also: deixar de, deixar alguém, deixar claro, deixar para trás.