Despedir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb despedir means to dismiss, to say goodbye to, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, despedir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo despido a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: despedir
  • English: to dismiss, to say goodbye to
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: despidiendo
  • Past participle: despedido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + despedido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for despedir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for despedir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despido | | tú | despides | | él/ella/Ud. | despide | | nosotros/as | despedimos | | vosotros/as | despedís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despiden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despedí | | tú | despediste | | él/ella/Ud. | despidió | | nosotros/as | despedimos | | vosotros/as | despedisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despidieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despedía | | tú | despedías | | él/ella/Ud. | despedía | | nosotros/as | despedíamos | | vosotros/as | despedíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despedían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despediré | | tú | despedirás | | él/ella/Ud. | despedirá | | nosotros/as | despediremos | | vosotros/as | despediréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despedirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despediría | | tú | despedirías | | él/ella/Ud. | despediría | | nosotros/as | despediríamos | | vosotros/as | despediríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despedirían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he despedido | | tú | has despedido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha despedido | | nosotros/as | hemos despedido | | vosotros/as | habéis despedido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han despedido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había despedido | | tú | habías despedido | | él/ella/Ud. | había despedido | | nosotros/as | habíamos despedido | | vosotros/as | habíais despedido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían despedido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré despedido | | tú | habrás despedido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá despedido | | nosotros/as | habremos despedido | | vosotros/as | habréis despedido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán despedido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría despedido | | tú | habrías despedido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría despedido | | nosotros/as | habríamos despedido | | vosotros/as | habríais despedido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían despedido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despida | | tú | despidas | | él/ella/Ud. | despida | | nosotros/as | despidamos | | vosotros/as | despidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despidan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | despidiera | | tú | despidieras | | él/ella/Ud. | despidiera | | nosotros/as | despidiéramos | | vosotros/as | despidierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despidieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | despide | | él/ella/Ud. | despida | | nosotros/as | despidamos | | vosotros/as | despedid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despidan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | despidas | | él/ella/Ud. | despida | | nosotros/as | despidamos | | vosotros/as | despidáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | despidan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund despidiendo with estar for the progressive: está despidiendo
Past participle despedido with haber for the perfect tenses: he despedido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For despedir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo despido a su amigo en la estación — "I say goodbye to his friend at the station".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: despidió, despidieron. The gerund changes too: despidiendo. For despedir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo despedí a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to his son at the airport".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo despedía a los invitados en la puerta — "As a child, I used to say goodbye to the guests at the door".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo despediré a su abuela en la terminal — "Tomorrow, I will say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo despediría a su amigo en la estación si pudiera — "I would say goodbye to his friend at the station if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he despedido a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Today, I have said goodbye to his son at the airport".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había despedido a los invitados en la puerta antes de salir — "I already had said goodbye to the guests at the door before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré despedido a su abuela en la terminal — "By tomorrow, I will have said goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For despedir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría despedido a su amigo en la estación con más tiempo — "I would have said goodbye to his friend at the station with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For despedir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él despida a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "I hope he says goodbye to his son at the airport".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For despedir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo despidiera a los invitados en la puerta, todo cambiaría — "If I said goodbye to the guests at the door, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For despedir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Despide a su abuela en la terminal. — "Say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For despedir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No despidas a su amigo en la estación. — "Do not say goodbye to his friend at the station.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with despedir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo despedí a los invitados en la puerta — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to the guests at the door"
  4. Antes, nosotros despedíamos a su abuela en la terminal — "Before, we used to say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal"
  5. Mañana, tú despedirás a su hermano en la estación de tren — "Tomorrow, you will say goodbye to his brother at the train station"
  6. Yo despediría a su amigo en la estación si tuviera más tiempo — "I would say goodbye to his friend at the station if I had more time"
  7. Él ha despedido a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "He has said goodbye to his son at the airport"
  8. Espero que él despida a los invitados en la puerta — "I hope he says goodbye to the guests at the door"
  9. 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"
  10. Ellos despedían a su hermano en la estación de tren cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to say goodbye to his brother at the train station when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo despedo a su hijo en el aeropuerto. — Right: Yo despido a su hijo en el aeropuerto. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él despide a su hijo en el aeropuerto — Right: Espero que él despida a su hijo en el aeropuerto — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él despida a su hijo en el aeropuerto — not the indicative Espero que él despide a su hijo en el aeropuerto.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo despido a los invitados en la puerta — Right: Ayer, yo despedí a los invitados en la puerta — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo despedí a los invitados en la puerta.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo despedí a su abuela en la terminal todos los días — Right: De niño, yo despedía a su abuela en la terminal todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo despedía a su abuela en la terminal todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo despido su amigo en la estación. — Right: Yo despido a su amigo en la estación. — despedir takes a before this complement: Yo despido a su amigo en la estación. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on despedir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "He said goodbye to his son at the airport" (preterite) A. despedimos B. despidió C. despedí D. despediste

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ a su abuela en la terminal — "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: Espero que él ______ a su amigo en la estación — "I hope he says goodbye to his friend at the station" (present subjunctive) A. despidáis B. despida C. despidas D. despidamos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ a su hijo en el aeropuerto, todo cambiaría — "If I said goodbye to his son at the airport, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. despidierais B. despidiera C. despidieras D. despidiéramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ a los invitados en la puerta — "We have said goodbye to the guests at the door" (present perfect) A. he despedido B. has despedido C. ha despedido D. hemos despedido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ a su abuela en la terminal. — "Do not say goodbye to his grandmother at the terminal." (negative imperative) A. despidáis B. despidas C. despida D. despidamos

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

Answer key

  1. despido — The present form for yo is despido.
  2. despidió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is despidió.
  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. despida — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is despida.
  7. despidiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is despidiera.
  8. hemos despedido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos despedido.
  9. despidas — The negative imperative form is despidas.
  10. despidiendo — The gerund of despedir is despidiendo: estoy despidiendo. The participle despedido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does despedir mean in English?

despedir means to dismiss, to say goodbye to. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of despedir?

The gerund is despidiendo and the past participle is despedido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I say goodbye to" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo despedí a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Yesterday, I said goodbye to his son at the airport". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo despedía a los invitados en la puerta — "As a child, I used to say goodbye to the guests at the door". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he despedido a su hijo en el aeropuerto — "Today, I have said goodbye to his son at the airport".

What is the difference between despedir and echar?

Echar a alguien is the informal way to say to throw someone out or fire them. Despedir is the standard verb for seeing someone off or dismissing them. 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.

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