The preterite of despedir is used to express when someone said goodbye or dismissed someone at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “We said goodbye to our friends at the airport” – “Despedimos a nuestros amigos en el aeropuerto.”
This is an e to i stem-changing verb in the preterite tense. The stem change occurs only in the third person singular (despidió) and plural (despidieron) forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Despedir (to say goodbye/dismiss) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | despedí |
| Tú | despediste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | despidió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | despedimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | despedisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | despidieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Despedir (to say goodbye/dismiss) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Despedir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of despedir expresses acts of farewell or dismissal.
To say goodbye: Describes a specific farewell, for example Me despedí de mis amigos (I said goodbye to my friends), or Se despidieron en el aeropuerto (They said goodbye at the airport).
To fire/dismiss: Indicates termination of employment, for example La empresa despidió a veinte empleados (The company fired twenty employees).
Examples
Examples of Despedir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Despedí a mi mejor empleado. (I fired my best employee.)
Nos despedimos en el aeropuerto. (We said goodbye at the airport.)
La empresa despidió a cincuenta trabajadores. (The company fired fifty workers.)
¿Te despediste de Juan? (Did you say goodbye to Juan?)
Se despidieron con un abrazo. (They said goodbye with a hug.)
Despedí el año con una fiesta. (I bid farewell to the year with a party.)
El jefe despidió a todo el equipo. (The boss fired the entire team.)
Nos despedimos hasta el próximo verano. (We said goodbye until next summer.)
Despediste el trabajo sin pensarlo. (You quit the job without thinking about it.)
Se despidieron para siempre. (They said goodbye forever.)
Despedí el día con una sonrisa. (I bid farewell to the day with a smile.)
La compañía despidió al director. (The company fired the director.)
Nos despedimos de nuestro hogar. (We said goodbye to our home.)
Despediste a tu asistente ayer. (You fired your assistant yesterday.)
Se despidieron de la ciudad natal. (They bid farewell to their hometown.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Despedir (to say goodbye/dismiss) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo despedí | I said goodbye |
| Tú despediste | You said goodbye |
| Él / Ella / Usted despidió | He / She / You (formal) said goodbye |
| Nosotros / Nosotras despedimos | We said goodbye |
| Vosotros / Vosotras despedisteis | You all said goodbye |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes despidieron | They / You all (formal) said goodbye |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.