Por descuido, dejé mi celular en la mesa.

Carelessly, I left my cell phone on the table.

Breakdown of Por descuido, dejé mi celular en la mesa.

• yo: I
• mi: my
• en: on
• la mesa: the table
• el celular: the cell phone
• dejar: to leave
• el descuido: the carelessness
• por: out of, because of

Questions & Answers about Por descuido, dejé mi celular en la mesa.

What does por descuido literally mean, and how is it used?

Por descuido literally means “because of carelessness / due to an oversight.” It’s a fixed, common way to explain that something happened accidentally or without paying attention.

• Por + noun often expresses cause: por error, por accidente, por miedo, por prisa.
  So Por descuido, dejé mi celular… = “Out of carelessness / By accident, I left my phone…”.

Is por descuido the same as por accidente?

They’re close, but not identical.

• Por accidente = accidental in a more general, neutral way (an unintended event).
• Por descuido = specifically suggests lack of attention/forgetfulness (you weren’t careful).
  Leaving a phone somewhere is very natural with por descuido.

Why is there a comma after Por descuido?

Because Por descuido is an introductory phrase. In Spanish, it’s common to set off an introductory adverbial phrase with a comma:

• Por descuido, …
• De repente, …
• Sin querer, …
  You can sometimes omit the comma in very short sentences, but here it’s standard and clear.

What tense is dejé, and why is that tense used?

Dejé is preterite (pretérito indefinido), 1st person singular: I left.
Preterite is used because leaving the phone is a completed, specific action in the past (a single event).
If you used imperfect (dejaba), it would suggest a habitual or ongoing past context:

• Siempre dejaba el celular en la mesa. = “I used to leave my phone on the table (habitually).”

Why does dejé have an accent mark?

The accent in dejé marks the stressed syllable and distinguishes the form:

• dejé = I left (preterite)
• deje (no accent) = can be a present subjunctive form ((that) I/he/she leave) or a formal command (leave!), depending on context.
  In dejé, the stress is on the last syllable: de-JÉ.

Does dejar mean “to leave” or “to let”? How do I know which meaning applies?

Dejar can mean both:

• to leave (something somewhere): Dejé mi celular en la mesa.
• to let / allow: Déjame ver. (“Let me see.”)
  The pattern here is dejar + object + location (mi celular
  • en la mesa), which clearly signals “leave (behind)”.

Why does Spanish say mi celular instead of el celular? Can I say dejé el celular?

Both can be possible, but they feel different:

• dejé mi celular = very explicit: my phone (most natural if you’re emphasizing it was yours).
• dejé el celular = can work if it’s already obvious whose phone it is from context (Spanish often uses el/la where English uses a possessive).
  In isolation, mi celular is the safer, clearer choice.

Is celular used everywhere? What about móvil or teléfono?

In Latin America, celular is extremely common and natural.

• móvil is more typical in Spain (though many people in Latin America will understand it).
• teléfono is universal, but can sound more general; celular is specifically a mobile phone.
  So this sentence is very Latin America–friendly.

Why is it en la mesa and not sobre la mesa?

Both can be correct, but they emphasize slightly different spatial ideas:

• en la mesa is commonly used to mean “on the table” in everyday Spanish.
• sobre la mesa is more explicitly “on top of the table / on the surface.”
  For leaving an object on a table, en la mesa is perfectly idiomatic.

Could I say Se me olvidó mi celular en la mesa instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, and it’s very common. The difference is focus/responsibility:

• Por descuido, dejé mi celular en la mesa. = “I left it (I did the action), due to carelessness.”
• Se me olvidó mi celular en la mesa. = “I forgot my phone on the table” (frames it as something that happened to you; very natural Spanish).
  Both convey the same basic situation, but se me olvidó often sounds more conversational and less blame-focused.

Is word order flexible? Can I put por descuido at the end?

Yes. All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

• Por descuido, dejé mi celular en la mesa. (sets the reason first)
• Dejé mi celular en la mesa por descuido. (states the fact first, then the reason)
• Dejé mi celular en la mesa, por descuido. (pause adds an afterthought feeling)
  The original order is very natural.

How would I pronounce descuido and what does it come from?

descuido is pronounced roughly des-KWEE-doh (with Spanish vowels). It comes from descuidar (to neglect / to be careless).

• un descuido = an oversight, a lapse in attention
  So por descuido is like “because of an oversight.”