Today, we’re going to discuss verbs that start with des. As to be expected, this prefix is a negative one, which negates the second part of the word. But this isn’t true of every single verb that starts with des; we’ll look at a few of the exceptions.

1. desconversar: to change the subject. Here, we have des + conversar (to converse), so literally, this could mean to unconverse.

Eu mencionei o que aconteceu com o ex-namorado dela, mas ela desconversou. I mentioned what happened to her ex-boyfriend, but she changed the subject.

2. desbloquear: to unblock, to release.  Bloquear (to block), with des as a prefix, most logically becomes unblock. This can also be used when referring to cell phones; unblocking the cell phone allows use you to use a SIM card from any phone company in Brazil.

O ladrão aprendeu como desbloquear celular, e colocou o próprio chip dentro do telefone roubado. The robber learned how to unblock cell phones, and put his own chip in the stolen phone.

3. desocupar: to vacate. Ocupar (to occupy), along with the des prefix, tranlates to unoccupy.

Os executivos desocuparam a sala antes do almoço. The executives vacated the room before lunch.

Exceptions

4. desenvolver: to develop. Though envolver means to involve, adding the -des changes the meaning.

O engenheiro irá desenvolver um novo modelo. The engineer is going to develop a new model.

5. desenhar: to draw, design.

A criança desenhou uma imagem de uma casa e a família dela. The child drew a picture of a house and her family.