Introduction

despachar means “to dispatch, to send off”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to dispatch, to send off” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows despachar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo despacho el paquete por la mañana.” — “I dispatch the package.”

despachar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how despachar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo despacho el paquete cada día.” — “I dispatch the package.”
  2. “Tú despachas el paquete cada día.” — “you dispatch the package.”
  3. “Él despacha el paquete siempre.” — “He dispatches the package.”
  4. “Nosotros despachamos el paquete todos los días.” — “We dispatch the package.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo despaché el paquete ayer.” — “I dispatched the package.” (preterite) 6. “Él despachó el paquete ayer.” — “He dispatched the package.” (preterite) 7. “Yo despachaba el paquete cuando era joven.” — “I used to dispatch the package.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros despacharemos el paquete mañana.” — “We will dispatch the package.” (future) 9. “Tú has despachado el paquete hoy.” — “you have dispatched the package.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo despache el paquete.” — “I hope that I dispatch the package.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros despacháis el paquete cada semana.” — “You dispatch the package.” 12. “Ellos despachan el paquete normalmente.” — “They dispatch the package.”

despachar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how despachar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue in a café

Sofía: “¿Tú despachas el paquete?” — Do you dispatch the package?

Diego: “Sí, yo despacho el paquete cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I dispatch the package every day. It is part of my routine.

Sofía: “¿Y ayer? ¿También despachas el paquete?” — And yesterday? Did you dispatch the package too?

Diego: “Sí, ayer yo despaché el paquete. Mañana nosotros despacharemos el paquete otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I dispatched the package. Tomorrow we will dispatch the package again.

A short paragraph

Él despacha el paquete cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how despachar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo despacho el paquete — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make despachar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is despaché, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — despache — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of despachar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For despachar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: despachamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he despachado el paquete. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy despachado is not the present perfect of despachar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing despachar with descubrir

despachar and descubrir look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of despachar — dispatch — the sentence needs despachar; if it needs the meaning of descubrir, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo despache el paquete. Using the indicative — Espero que yo despacho — is one of the most frequent learner errors with despachar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of despachar in the present?

  • A. despachas
  • B. despacha
  • C. despachamos
  • D. despacho

2. What is the tu form of despachar in the preterite?

  • A. despachamos
  • B. despachaste
  • C. despaché
  • D. despachó

3. What is the el form of despachar in the imperfect?

  • A. despachabas
  • B. despachábamos
  • C. despachabais
  • D. despachaba

4. What is the nosotros form of despachar in the future?

  • A. despachará
  • B. despacharemos
  • C. despacharé
  • D. despacharás

5. What is the vosotros form of despachar in the present perfect?

  • A. he despachado
  • B. has despachado
  • C. ha despachado
  • D. habéis despachado

6. What is the ellos form of despachar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. despache
  • B. despachen
  • C. despache
  • D. despaches

7. What is the yo form of despachar in the preterite?

  • A. despachaste
  • B. despachó
  • C. despachamos
  • D. despaché

8. What is the tu form of despachar in the imperfect?

  • A. despachábamos
  • B. despachabas
  • C. despachaba
  • D. despachaba

9. What is the el form of despachar in the future?

  • A. despacharé
  • B. despacharás
  • C. despacharemos
  • D. despachará

10. What is the nosotros form of despachar in the conditional?

  • A. despacharía
  • B. despacharíamos
  • C. despacharía
  • D. despacharías

Answer key

  1. despacho — The present table gives yo = despacho.
  2. despachaste — The preterite table gives tu = despachaste.
  3. despachaba — The imperfect table gives el = despachaba.
  4. despacharemos — The future table gives nosotros = despacharemos.
  5. habéis despachado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis despachado.
  6. despachen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = despachen.
  7. despaché — The preterite table gives yo = despaché.
  8. despachabas — The imperfect table gives tu = despachabas.
  9. despachará — The future table gives el = despachará.
  10. despacharíamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = despacharíamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use despachar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo despacho el paquete.” — “I dispatch the package.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of despachar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form despacho first, then the preterite yo form despaché and the participle despachado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund despachando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is despachar reflexive?

No — despachar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo despacho el paquete. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of despachar?

On the main conjugation page for despachar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links