desentenderse

to pretend not to know

to wash one's hands of

desentenderse(dehs-ehn-tehn-dehr-seh)

pronominal verb

1. (to feign ignorance; often used with "de")

a. to pretend not to know

No te desentiendas, que tú sabes muy bien de qué hablamos.

Don't pretend you don't know. You know full well what we're talking about.

2. (to evade; used with "de")

a. to wash one's hands of

El senador no puede desentenderse de la crisis que él mismo originó.

The senator cannot wash his hands of the crisis he himself helped to create.

b. to want nothing to do with

¡Haz lo que te parezca! De ahora en adelante, voy a desentenderme de tus asuntos.

Do what you want! From now on, I want nothing to do with your problems.