Despedirse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb despedirse means to say goodbye, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full despedirse conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo me despido de mis amigos. — "I say goodbye to my friends."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for despedirse, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

Watch out for one thing before you start: despedirse is a stem-changing verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in four of the six present forms, and the table below shows exactly which ones.

despedirse is reflexive, so every form below is shown with its reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se). The pronoun is part of the verb, not an optional extra.

The despedirse present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for despedirse. The gerund is despidiendo and the past participle is despedido.

Person	Pronoun	Form
yo	me	despido
tú	te	despides
él/ella/Ud.	se	despide
nosotros/as	nos	despedimos
vosotros/as	os	despedís
ellos/ellas/Uds.	se	despiden

The gerund despidiendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy despidiendo, I am saying goodbye), and the past participle despedido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he despedido, I have said goodbye).

How the present tense of despedirse is formed

Start with the infinitive despedir. Take off the -ir ending and you are left with the stem desped-. Then add the present endings for -ir verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -imos (nosotros/as), -ís (vosotros/as) and -en (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

despedirse is a stem-changing verb: the stem vowel changes from e → i in the four stressed forms of the present. You say despido (yo), despides (tú), despide (él/ella) and despiden (ellos/ellas), but the nosotros and vosotros forms are unstressed, so they keep the plain stem: despedimos and despedís. This is the single most important thing to learn about despedirse, because the change appears in the present, in the present subjunctive and in the imperative too. Learn the four changed forms as a set, and the two unchanged forms as a pair, and the pattern becomes automatic.

despedirse is reflexive, so every form needs its reflexive pronoun in front of it: me, te, se, nos, os, se, matching the person. In the table above the pronoun is shown in its own column, and in a sentence it goes before the conjugated verb: Me despido de mis amigos.. Do not drop the pronoun: without it, you are talking about a different verb. In the infinitive the pronoun is attached to the end (despedirse), and in the gerund it can go before the auxiliary or attached to the gerund: estoy despidiendo or despidiéndome.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: despedís. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: me despido on its own means both "I say goodbye" and "I am saying goodbye" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of despedirse

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about saying goodbye to friends and family at the station, the airport or the door.

• Yo me despido de mis amigos. — "I say goodbye to my friends."
• Tú te despides de mi familia. — "you say goodbye to my family."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about farewells: with a hug, with a kiss, before leaving.

• Él se despide en la estación. — "he/she says goodbye at the station."
• Nosotros nos despedimos con un abrazo. — "we say goodbye with a hug."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about saying goodbye at work, at the end of the day or when someone leaves a job.

• Vosotros os despedís antes de salir. — "you (all) say goodbye before leaving."
• Ellos se despiden con un beso. — "they say goodbye with a kiss."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

• Él se despide en la estación. — "he/she says goodbye at the station."
• Nosotros nos despedimos con un abrazo. — "we say goodbye with a hug."

Despedirse present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

• Present (habit): Yo me despido de mis amigos. — "I say goodbye to my friends."

• Progressive (right now): Yo estoy despidiendo de mis amigos. — "I am saying goodbye to my friends."

• Present (habit): Tú te despides de mi familia. — "you say goodbye to my family."

• Progressive (right now): Tú estás despidiendo de mi familia. — "you are saying goodbye to my family."

• Present (habit): Él se despide en la estación. — "he/she says goodbye at the station."

• Progressive (right now): Él está despidiendo en la estación. — "he/she is saying goodbye at the station."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say me despido every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy despidiendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of despedirse in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

1. Me despido de mis amigos en la estación. — "I say goodbye to my friends at the station."
2. Mi madre se despide de mi familia con un abrazo. — "My mother says goodbye to my family with a hug."
3. Ayer me despedí de mis amigos antes de salir. — "Yesterday I said goodbye to my friends before leaving."
4. De niña, me despedía de mi abuela con un beso. — "As a girl, I used to say goodbye to my grandmother with a kiss."
5. Mañana me despediré de mis amigos en el aeropuerto. — "Tomorrow I will say goodbye to my friends at the airport."
6. Si tuviera más tiempo, me despediría con calma de todos. — "If I had more time, I would say goodbye calmly to everyone."
7. Él se despide antes de salir. — "he/she says goodbye before leaving."
8. Nosotros nos despedimos con un beso. — "we say goodbye with a kiss."

Common mistakes with despedirse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo despido de mis amigos.

Wrong: Yo despido de mis amigos.

Right: Yo me despido de mis amigos.

Despedirse is reflexive. Despido on its own means to fire someone from a job, a completely different meaning.

2. Me despido mis amigos.

Wrong: Me despido mis amigos.

Right: Me despido de mis amigos.

Saying goodbye to someone needs the preposition de: me despido de mis amigos.

3. Forgetting the stem change

Wrong: Me despedo de mis amigos.

Right: Me despido de mis amigos.

The stem change is not optional: despedirse changes its stem vowel in the yo form, so the correct form is despido. Say the four changed forms out loud (yo, tú, él, ellos) until the new vowel feels natural.

4. Dropping the reflexive pronoun

Wrong: Yo despido de mis amigos.

Right: Me despido de mis amigos.

Without the pronoun you are using the non-reflexive verb, which means something else. The pronoun is part of despedirse: me despido.

5. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo me despido de mis amigos.

Right: Ayer yo me despedí de mis amigos.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: me despedí. The present me despido describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

6. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros despedis de mis amigos.

Right: Vosotros despedís de mis amigos.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: despedís. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on despedirse in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

1. Yo ___ de mis amigos
   • a) me despido
   • b) te despides
   • c) se despide
   • d) nos despedimos
2. Tú ___ de mi familia
   • a) me despido
   • b) se despide
   • c) nos despedimos
   • d) te despides
3. Él ___ en la estación
   • a) te despides
   • b) nos despedimos
   • c) se despide
   • d) me despido
4. Nosotros ___ con un abrazo
   • a) se despide
   • b) nos despedimos
   • c) me despido
   • d) te despides
5. Vosotros ___ antes de salir
   • a) os despedís
   • b) me despido
   • c) te despides
   • d) se despide
6. Ellos ___ con un beso
   • a) me despido
   • b) te despides
   • c) se despide
   • d) se despiden
7. Yo ___ de mis amigos
   • a) se despide
   • b) nos despedimos
   • c) me despido
   • d) te despides
8. Tú ___ de mi familia
   • a) nos despedimos
   • b) te despides
   • c) me despido
   • d) se despide

Answers

1. a) me despido — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
2. d) te despides — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
3. c) se despide — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
4. b) nos despedimos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
5. a) os despedís — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
6. d) se despiden — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
7. c) me despido — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
8. b) te despides — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about despedirse in the present

What is the difference between despedir and despedirse?

Despedir means to fire someone from a job: el jefe despide al empleado. Despedirse means to say goodbye: me despido de mis amigos. The pronoun -se changes the meaning completely, so do not mix them up.

Why is it me despido and not me despidio?

Despedirse is an e → i stem-changing verb in the present: me despido, te despides, se despide, se despiden. Nosotros and vosotros keep e: nos despedimos, os despedís. The preterite third person also changes: él se despidió.

Is despedirse a stem-changing verb in the present?

Yes. In the present the stem vowel changes e → i in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms: despido, despides, despide and despiden. The nosotros form (despedimos) and the vosotros form (despedís) keep the plain stem.

What are the gerund and the past participle of despedirse?

The gerund is despidiendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy despidiendo), and the past participle is despedido, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he despedido).

How to remember despedirse

Four small habits will fix despedirse in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: me despido, te despides, se despide, nos despedimos, os despedís, se despiden. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (me despido), one about yesterday with the preterite (me despedí), and one about tomorrow with the future (me despediré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from saludar: Despedirse is saying goodbye when you leave; saludar is greeting when you arrive. Saludos al llegar y me despido al salir. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund despidiendo and the past participle despedido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy despidiendo) and the present perfect (he despedido), which covers most everyday conversation.

Related pages

• Despedirse conjugation: full tables — every tense of despedirse on one page.
• Despedirse examples and quiz — more sentences and a longer quiz on despedirse.
• Spanish Present tense guide — the whole tense explained with a regular model verb.
• Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
• Present conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present.
• Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
• Reflexive verb conjugator — reflexive verbs with the right pronoun for every person.