Despedir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

despedir means "to dismiss, to say goodbye to" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Despedir a alguien usually means to see someone off: despedir a su amigo en la estación. It also means to dismiss an employee — despedir a su empleado — and to give off a smell: despedir un olor. With se, despedirse de means to say goodbye. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of despedir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the despedir present tense page.

despedir in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo despido a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station"
  2. Mi amigo despide a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "My friend says goodbye to his son at the airport"
  3. Mañana, tú despedirás a los invitados en la puerta — "Tomorrow, you will say goodbye to the guests at the door"
  4. Yo despediría a su abuela en la terminal si pudiera — "I would say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo despedí a su amigo en la estación — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to his friend at the station"
  2. Antes, nosotros despedíamos a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Before, we used to say goodbye to his son at the airport"
  3. Él ha despedido a los invitados en la puerta — "He has said goodbye to the guests at the door"
  4. Yo ya había despedido a su abuela en la terminal antes de salir — "I already had said goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él despida a su amigo en la estación — "I hope he says goodbye to his friend at the station"
  2. Si yo despidiera a su hijo en el aeropuerto, todo cambiaría — "If I said goodbye to his son at the airport, everything would change"
  3. Despide a los invitados en la puerta. — "Say goodbye to the guests at the door."
  4. Yo habría despedido a su abuela en la terminal con más tiempo — "I would have said goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal with more time"

despedir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use despedir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo despido a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station"
  • Marcos: Él despide a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "He says goodbye to his son at the airport"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo despedí a los invitados en la puerta — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to the guests at the door"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú despedirás a su abuela en la terminal — "Tomorrow, you will say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Despide a su hermano en la estación de tren. — "Say goodbye to his brother at the train station."
  • Lucía: Él ha despedido a su amigo en la estación — "He has said goodbye to his friend at the station"
  • Marcos: Espero que él despida a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "I hope he says goodbye to his son at the airport"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo despedía a los invitados en la puerta — "Before, I used to say goodbye to the guests at the door"

Common mistakes with despedir

The errors learners actually make with despedir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo despedo a su abuela en la terminal.

✓ Correct: Yo despido a su abuela en la terminal.

despedir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is despido, not despedo.

✗ *Espero que él despide a su abuela en la terminal

✓ Correct: Espero que él despida a su abuela en la terminal

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él despida a su abuela en la terminal — not the indicative Espero que él despide a su abuela en la terminal.

✗ *Ayer, yo despido a su hermano en la estación de tren

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo despedí a su hermano en la estación de tren

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo despedí a su hermano en la estación de tren.

✗ *De niño, yo despedí a su amigo en la estación todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo despedía a su amigo en la estación todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo despedía a su amigo en la estación todos los días.

✗ *Yo despido los invitados en la puerta.

✓ Correct: Yo despido a los invitados en la puerta.

despedir takes a before this complement: Yo despido a los invitados en la puerta. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: despedir in use

Ten questions on despedir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station" (present) A. despedimos B. despido C. despides D. despide

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to his son at the airport" (preterite) A. despediste B. despidió C. despedimos D. despedí

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a los invitados en la puerta — "Before, we used to say goodbye to the guests at the door" (imperfect) A. despedíamos B. despedía C. despedías D. despedíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ a su abuela en la terminal — "Tomorrow, you will say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal" (future) A. despediremos B. despedirás C. despediré D. despedirá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a su hermano en la estación de tren — "I would say goodbye to his brother at the train station" (conditional) A. despediría B. despedirías C. despediríamos D. despediríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a su amigo en la estación — "He has said goodbye to his friend at the station" (present perfect) A. he despedido B. has despedido C. hemos despedido D. ha despedido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "I hope he says goodbye to his son at the airport" (present subjunctive) A. despidáis B. despida C. despidas D. despidamos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a los invitados en la puerta. — "Say goodbye to the guests at the door." (affirmative imperative) A. despide B. despida C. despidamos D. despedid

  9. Which is the gerund of despedir, used with estar for the progressive? A. despido B. despedí C. despidiendo D. despedido

  10. What does despedir mean in English? A. to dismiss B. to throw out C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. despido — The present form for yo is despido.
  2. despedí — The preterite form for yo is despedí.
  3. despedíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is despedíamos.
  4. despedirás — The future form for tú is despedirás.
  5. despediría — The conditional form for yo is despediría.
  6. ha despedido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha despedido.
  7. despida — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is despida.
  8. despide — The affirmative imperative form is despide.
  9. despidiendo — The gerund of despedir is despidiendo: estoy despidiendo. The participle despedido is used with haber instead.
  10. to dismiss — despedir means to dismiss.

Frequently asked questions

What does despedir mean in English?

despedir means to dismiss, to say goodbye to. For example: Yo despido a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with despedir?

despedir takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with despedir.

Is despedir regular?

No. despedir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: despido, despides, despide and despiden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: despedimos, despedís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: despidió, despidieron, and the gerund is despidiendo.

How do I practise despedir?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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