Deja que (contra) Deja y

Question

I need to know the difference between these two options. I suspect it implies where you are going with the sentence but i still dont really understand.

Deja y me cepillo los dientes.

Deja que me cepille los dientes.

Deja y me lavo las manos.

Deja que me lave las manos.

If someone could shed some light, you will be rewarded in love points

Im swimming in my own head with all this learning crap - Blueoctober712, Aug 21, 2012

Answer 1

Well let's start with 'deja que':

As well as dejar being used to mean 'leave' or with 'de' to mean 'stop'

eg. Déjame la llave. Leave me the key.

Debes dejar de fumar. You must give up smoking. Deja de preocuparte, todo saldrá bien. Stop worrying, everything will turn out fine.

... you can use "dejar" meaning 'to let' to introduce a subordinate clause. This subordinate clause will explain what are you letting anyone or anything do.

The subordinate clause can simply be an infinitive if it is clear who or what the subject of the subordinate clause is.

Let's say you're looking at little Johnny or have just made some other comment about him and then you say:

Déjale comer = let him eat ("le" means "him", so it's clear that he, little Johhny is the one who should be allowed to eat)

If the subject is not clear or you want to state the subject you must use a conjugated verb which in turn must always be introduced by a conjunction or pronoun (this will usually be "que").

Let's say you are at a party and your friend has a nice brother but she doesn't want him to come but you do, so you say:

Deja que venga tu hermano (let your brother come)

As far as deja y goes do you have any examples?

I guess it could work in the context of telling someone to stop doing something:

¡Déjalo! y venga conmigo. Stop it and come with me.

50 lovepoints , i think i found what i needed to know having to do with context. - Ox-Y-Gen, Aug 20, 2012

lol glad to have helped :) - Kiwi-Girl, Aug 21, 2012

Fabulous! - --Mariana--, Aug 21, 2012

Answer 2

Here's a bit more on the verb dejar if anyone wants to learn a few more uses of this versatile verb

The verb dejar and some of its uses

Answer 3

Deja y sounds very colloquial and, in my opinion, it's not proper Spanish. The use of the conjunction y adds no real meaning to the sentence and the use of the indicative after this expression is purely idiomatic. There's no real basis for a tense discussion since Deja y is not correct for starters.

Deja que me lave los dientes or Espera que me lave los dientes both take the subjunctive since they are followed by the relative pronoun que.

In order to be a master , you have to understand the wrong to respond with the right. - Ox-Y-Gen, Aug 21, 2012

What about when you arent asking them to allow you, you are just stating what it is that you will do? For that purpose the ''y'' gives a whole different idea. - Ox-Y-Gen, Aug 21, 2012