Destituir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of destituir — “to dismiss from office” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for destituir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. It is a spelling-change verb ( becomes y before e), but the present tense itself is regular — the spelling change shows up in the subjunctive and the preterite. To see it in a real sentence: Destituyo al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of destituir will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: destituir
Every person of destituir in the present tense. The gerund is destituyendo and the past participle is destituido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituyo |
| tú | destituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituye |
| nosotros/as | destituimos |
| vosotros/as | destituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyen |
How the present indicative of destituir is formed
The present indicative of destituir is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The stem in the present is destituy-, not destitu-, so the first-person form is destituyo. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | destituyo |
| tú | -es | destituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | destituye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | destituimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | destituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | destituyen |
Destituir is a spelling-change verb. In the present tense the forms are regular, so the table above follows the normal -ir endings. The spelling change appears when the ending starts with e: the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. The sound stays the same; only the spelling changes to keep it.
The gerund of destituir is destituyendo and the past participle is destituido. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of destituir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and destituir appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and destituir fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión todos los días.” — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo.” — “He/she dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so destituyo can mean both “I dismiss from office” and “I am dismiss from officeing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo destituyo al entrenador después de la derrota.” — “Right now, I dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo destituyo al juez por falta de imparcialidad.” — “Tomorrow, I will dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú destituyes al director por mala gestión?” — “Do you dismiss from office the director for bad management?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. — “He/she dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Destituyó al ministro tras el escándalo. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Destituyen al entrenador después de la derrota. — “They dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Destituían al entrenador después de la derrota. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Destituyes al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “You dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”
- Future — what will happen: Destituirás al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: destituir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show destituir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
- Tú destituyes al ministro tras el escándalo. — “You dismiss from office the minister after the scandal.”
- Él destituye al entrenador después de la derrota. — “He dismisses from office the coach after the defeat.”
- Nosotros destituimos al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — “We dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.”
- Vosotros destituís al director por mala gestión. — “You (plural) dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
- Ellos destituyen al ministro tras el escándalo. — “They dismiss from office the minister after the scandal.”
- ¿Tú destituyes al entrenador después de la derrota? — “Do you dismiss from office the coach after the defeat?”
Common mistakes with destituir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with destituir in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo destituir al director por mala gestión. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo destituyo al director por mala gestión.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of destituir is destituyo, not the infinitive destituir.
✗ Vosotros destituis al director por mala gestión. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros destituís al director por mala gestión.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: destituís, not destituis. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo destituyo al ministro tras el escándalo. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo destituí al ministro tras el escándalo.
The present and the preterite are different tenses: destituyo is happening now, while destituí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
✗ Treating destituir and despedir as identical in every context. (confusing destituir with despedir).
✓ 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.
Quiz: destituir in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of destituir. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of destituir for tú?
- a) destituyes
- b) destituyo
- c) destituye
- d) destituyen
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
- a) destituye
- b) destituimos
- c) destituyes
- d) destituyo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ al ministro tras el escándalo. — “He/she dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.” (present tense)
- a) destituía
- b) destituirá
- c) destituye
- d) destituyó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of destituir for nosotros?
- a) destituyen
- b) destituimos
- c) destituyo
- d) destituye
5. Which sentence uses destituir correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él destituyó al ministro tras el escándalo.
- b) Él destituye al ministro tras el escándalo.
- c) Él destituirá al ministro tras el escándalo.
- d) Ellos destituye al ministro tras el escándalo.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al entrenador después de la derrota. — “They dismiss from office the coach after the defeat.”
- a) destituyo
- b) destituye
- c) destituimos
- d) destituyen
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ al juez por falta de imparcialidad? — “Do you dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality?”
- a) destituye
- b) destituirás
- c) destituyes
- d) destituyo
8. What is the gerund of destituir?
- a) destituí
- b) destituyendo
- c) destituido
- d) destituyo
Answer key
a) destituyes — The tú form is destituyes. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; destituyo is yo, destituye is él/ella and destituyen is ellos/ellas.
d) destituyo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: destituyo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) destituye — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: destituye. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) destituimos — Nosotros takes destituimos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ir verbs is -imos, attached to the stem.
b) 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 use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) destituyen — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is destituyen.
c) destituyes — The question needs the tú form in the present: destituyes.
b) destituyendo — The gerund is destituyendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle destituido.
Frequently asked questions
Is destituir regular in the present tense?
Yes. Destituir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: destituyo, destituyes, destituye, destituimos, destituís and destituyen.
What is the gerund and the past participle of destituir?
The gerund is destituyendo and the past participle is destituido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I dismiss from office” in Spanish?
Say destituyo. For example: Destituyo al director por mala gestión. — “I dismiss from office the director for bad management.”
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”. The full conjugation of destituir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of destituir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- destituir examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Exhibir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with destituir.
- Pulir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with destituir.
- Mugir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with destituir.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.