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"Despega" is a form of "despegar", an intransitive verb which is often translated as "to take off". "Aterriza" is a form of "aterrizar", an intransitive verb which is often translated as "to land". Learn more about the difference between "despega" and "aterriza" below.
despegar(
dehs
-
peh
-
gahr
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. to take off
La compañía despegó después de lanzar su nuevo producto.The company took off after releasing its new product.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
3. (to detach)
despegarse
A reflexive verb is a verb that indicates that the subject performs an action on itself (e.g., Miguel se lava.).
a. to become unstuck
La mariposa se despegó de la telaraña y se fue volando.The butterfly became unstuck from the spiderweb and flew away.
aterrizar(
ah
-
teh
-
rree
-
sahr
)An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
b. to touch down
El avión aterrizó en Hawai tras 12 horas de vuelo.The aircraft touched down in Hawaii after a 12-hour flight.
3. (colloquial) (to appear unexpectedly)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to turn up
Mis primos aterrizaron por casa para hablar con mi padre.My cousins turned up at our house to talk to my father.
