Destituir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb destituir means to dismiss from office, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, destituir 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 destituyo al director por mala gestión, and in the preterite you say destituí al entrenador después de la derrota. 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: destituir
- English: to dismiss from office
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: destituyendo
- Past participle: destituido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + destituido)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for destituir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Destituir keeps a y in the present: destituyo, never destituo. It dismisses someone from an office or post, while despedir fires someone from an ordinary job.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for destituir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituyo |
| tú | destituyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituye |
| nosotros/as | destituimos |
| vosotros/as | destituís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituí |
| tú | destituiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituyó |
| nosotros/as | destituimos |
| vosotros/as | destituisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyeron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituía |
| tú | destituías |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituía |
| nosotros/as | destituíamos |
| vosotros/as | destituíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituiré |
| tú | destituirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituirá |
| nosotros/as | destituiremos |
| vosotros/as | destituiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituiría |
| tú | destituirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituiría |
| nosotros/as | destituiríamos |
| vosotros/as | destituiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he destituido |
| tú | has destituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha destituido |
| nosotros/as | hemos destituido |
| vosotros/as | habéis destituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han destituido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había destituido |
| tú | habías destituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había destituido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos destituido |
| vosotros/as | habíais destituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían destituido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré destituido |
| tú | habrás destituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá destituido |
| nosotros/as | habremos destituido |
| vosotros/as | habréis destituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán destituido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría destituido |
| tú | habrías destituido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría destituido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos destituido |
| vosotros/as | habríais destituido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían destituido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituya |
| tú | destituyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituya |
| nosotros/as | destituyamos |
| vosotros/as | destituyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destituyera |
| tú | destituyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituyera |
| nosotros/as | destituyéramos |
| vosotros/as | destituyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | destituye |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituya |
| nosotros/as | destituyamos |
| vosotros/as | destituid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | destituyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | destituya |
| nosotros/as | destituyamos |
| vosotros/as | destituyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destituyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | destituyendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy destituyendo |
| Past participle | destituido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he destituido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For destituir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Destituyo al director por mala gestión. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. For destituir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, destituí al ministro tras el escándalo. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, destituía al entrenador después de la derrota. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, destituiré al juez por falta de imparcialidad. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Destituiría al director por mala gestión si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he destituido al ministro tras el escándalo. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había destituido al entrenador después de la derrota antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré destituido al juez por falta de imparcialidad. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 destituir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría destituido al director por mala gestión con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. For destituir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él destituya al ministro tras el escándalo. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For destituir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él destituyera al entrenador después de la derrota, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. For destituir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Destituye al juez por falta de imparcialidad! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. For destituir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No destituyas al director por mala gestión. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with destituir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Destituyo al director por mala gestión. — I dismiss from office the director for bad management.
- Destituye al ministro tras el escándalo. — He/she dismisses from office the minister after the scandal.
- Ayer, destituí al entrenador después de la derrota. — Yesterday, I dismissed from office the coach after the defeat.
- Antes, nosotros destituíamos al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — Before, we used to dismiss from office the judge for lack of impartiality.
- Mañana, tú destituirás al director por mala gestión. — Tomorrow, you will dismiss from office the director for bad management.
- 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.
- Él ha destituido al entrenador después de la derrota. — He has dismissed from office the coach after the defeat.
- Espero que él destituya al juez por falta de imparcialidad. — I hope he dismisses from office the judge for lack of impartiality.
- 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.
- Ellos destituían al ministro tras el escándalo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to dismiss from office the minister after the scandal when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo destituye al director por mala gestión. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo destituo al ministro tras el escándalo. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Treating destituir and despedir as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy destituido al ministro tras el escándalo. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo destituí al entrenador después de la derrota todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on destituir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al director por mala gestión. (present tense) A. destituyo B. destituyes C. destituye D. destituimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al ministro tras el escándalo. (preterite) A. destituí B. destituiste C. destituyeron D. destituyó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al entrenador después de la derrota. (imperfect) A. destituías B. destituían C. destituíamos D. destituía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al juez por falta de imparcialidad. (future) A. destituiremos B. destituirás C. destituiré D. destituirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ al director por mala gestión si pudiera. (conditional) A. destituiría B. destituirías C. destituirían D. destituyo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al ministro tras el escándalo. (present subjunctive) A. destituyas B. destituyamos C. destituyo D. destituya
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al entrenador después de la derrota, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. destituyéramos B. destituyo C. destituyera D. destituyeras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al juez por falta de imparcialidad. (present perfect) A. han destituido B. hemos destituido C. he destituido D. has destituido
Complete the command: ¡___ al director por mala gestión! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. destituye B. destituya C. destituyamos D. destituid
Which is the gerund of destituir, used with estar for the progressive? A. destituido B. destituyo C. destituí D. destituyendo
Answer key
- destituyo — The first-person present of destituir is destituyo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- destituyó — The third-person preterite of destituir is destituyó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- destituíamos — The nosotros imperfect of destituir is destituíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- destituirás — The second-person future of destituir is destituirás.
- destituiría — The first-person conditional of destituir is destituiría, the form for what would happen.
- destituya — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of destituir is destituya.
- destituyera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of destituir is destituyera.
- hemos destituido — The nosotros present perfect of destituir is hemos destituido: hemos + destituido.
- destituye — The affirmative tú imperative of destituir is destituye.
- destituyendo — The gerund of destituir is destituyendo: estoy destituyendo. The participle destituido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does destituir mean in English?
Destituir means to dismiss from office. It is used in everyday situations such as Destituyo al director por mala gestión. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is destituir regular or irregular?
Destituir is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: the stem gains y before e and a, so the present subjunctive is destituya and the preterite first person is destituí. The other tenses follow the regular -ir endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
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 easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use destituir when you mean to dismiss from office, as in Destituyo al director por mala gestión, and use despedir for to fire someone from a job. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I dismiss from office” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo destituí al ministro tras el escándalo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo destituía al entrenador después de la derrota. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he destituido al ministro tras el escándalo.
How do I practise destituir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the destituir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Destituir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for destituir.
- Destituir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for destituir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- 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.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.