Destituir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

destituir means “to dismiss from office” 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. Destituir means to dismiss someone from office, to remove a person from a post of authority. It is a formal verb used in politics, companies and institutions, for ministers, directors and officials who lose their job by decision, not by resignation. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 destituir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the destituir present tense page.

destituir in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
  2. Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. — “He dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.”
  3. Nosotros destituimos al entrenador después de la derrota. — “We dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
  4. Ellos destituyen al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “They dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo destituí al ministro tras el escándalo. — “Yesterday, I dismissed from office the minister after the scandal.”
  2. Antes, nosotros destituíamos al entrenador después de la derrota. — “Before, we used to dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
  3. Él destituyó al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “He dismissed from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”
  4. Yo ya había destituido al director por mala gestión antes de salir. — “I had already dismissed from office the director for bad management before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú destituirás al director por mala gestión. — “Tomorrow, you will dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
  2. Yo destituiría al ministro tras el escándalo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would dismiss from office the minister after the scandal if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha destituido al entrenador después de la derrota. — “He has dismissed from office the coach after the defeat.”
  4. Espero que él destituya al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “I hope he dismisses from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”

destituir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use destituir 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 their day.

  • Ana: Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
  • Bea: Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. — “He dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo destituí al ministro tras el escándalo. — “Yesterday, I dismissed from office the minister after the scandal.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú destituirás al director por mala gestión. — “Tomorrow, you will dismiss from office the director for bad management.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros destituimos al entrenador después de la derrota. — “We dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros destituíamos al entrenador después de la derrota. — “Before, we used to dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
  • Luis: Yo destituiría al ministro tras el escándalo si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would dismiss from office the minister after the scandal if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él destituya al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “I hope he dismisses from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”

A short scene with destituir

A short scene shows how destituir works across the day. In the morning: Destituyo al director por mala gestión. In the afternoon: Destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, destituí al entrenador después de la derrota. And tomorrow: Mañana, destituiré al juez por falta de imparcialidad. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how destituir sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with destituir

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

✗ Yo destituye al director por mala gestión.

✓ Correct: Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión.

The person matters: destituye is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is destituyo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Yo destituo al ministro tras el escándalo.

✓ Correct: Yo destituyo al ministro tras el escándalo.

Destituir is a -uir verb: the present keeps a y in the stem, so the first-person present is destituyo, never destituo.

✗ Treating destituir and despedir as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Destituir means to dismiss from office, while despedir means to fire someone from a job.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: destituir fits sentences such as Destituyo al director por mala gestión, while despedir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy destituido al ministro tras el escándalo.

✓ Correct: Yo he destituido al ministro tras el escándalo.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he destituido, has destituido, ha destituido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo destituí al entrenador después de la derrota todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo destituía al entrenador después de la derrota todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (destituía), not the preterite. The preterite (destituí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: destituir in use

Ten questions on destituir — 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: Él ______ al ministro tras el escándalo. — “He/she dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.”

  • a) destituye
  • b) destituyo
  • c) destituyes
  • d) destituimos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al entrenador después de la derrota. — “Yesterday, I dismissed from office the coach after the defeat.”

  • a) destituiste
  • b) destituyó
  • c) destituyeron
  • d) destituí

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al juez por falta de imparcialidad cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality when they were young.”

  • a) destituías
  • b) destituíamos
  • c) destituían
  • d) destituía

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ al director por mala gestión. — “Tomorrow, we will dismiss from office the director for bad management.”

  • a) destituirán
  • b) destituiremos
  • c) destituiré
  • d) destituirás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al ministro tras el escándalo si pudiera. — “He would dismiss from office the minister after the scandal if he could.”

  • a) destituiría
  • b) destituirías
  • c) destituiríamos
  • d) destituyo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al entrenador después de la derrota. — “I have dismissed from office the coach after the defeat.”

  • a) has destituido
  • b) ha destituido
  • c) han destituido
  • d) he destituido

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “I hope you dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”

  • a) destituyamos
  • b) destituyo
  • c) destituyas
  • d) destituya

8. Which is the past participle of destituir, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) destituí
  • b) destituido
  • c) destituyendo
  • d) destituyo

9. What does destituir mean in English?

  • a) to dismiss from office
  • b) to fire someone from a job
  • c) to sanction
  • d) to fine

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo.
  • b) Él destituyo al ministro tras el escándalo.
  • c) Nosotros destituye al entrenador después de la derrota.
  • d) Yo destituye al director por mala gestión.

Answer key

  1. a) destituye — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: destituye.

  2. d) destituí — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: destituí, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) destituían — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: destituían, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) destituiremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: destituiremos.

  5. a) destituiría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: destituiría.

  6. d) he destituido — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he destituido, haber + destituido.

  7. c) destituyas — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is destituyas.

  8. b) destituido — The past participle is destituido: he destituido, has destituido, ha destituido. The gerund destituyendo is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to dismiss from office — destituir means to dismiss from office. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. — Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use destituir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Destituyo al director por mala gestión and Destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between destituir and despedir?

Destituir means “to dismiss from office”, while despedir means “to fire someone from a job”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use destituir when you mean “to dismiss from office” and despedir when you mean “to fire someone from a job”.

Which tense do I need most with destituir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use destituir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is destituir formal or informal?

Destituir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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