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Conjugation Chart of “Despedir” (to say goodbye/dismiss) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Despedir”

The preterite of despedir is used to express a specific instance of saying goodbye or dismissing someone in the past. For example, you might say “I said goodbye to my friends at the airport,” indicating when the farewell occurred.

This is an e to i stem-changing verb, which means the ‘e’ in the stem changes to ‘i’ in the third person singular and plural forms of the preterite.

How to Use Despedir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The preterite of despedir indicates a completed action of dismissing or saying goodbye in the past.

To fire/dismiss: Describes terminating employment, for example La empresa despidió a varios empleados (The company fired several employees) or Lo despidieron por llegar tarde (They fired him for being late).

To say goodbye: Used for farewells, for example Me despedí de mis amigos en el aeropuerto (I said goodbye to my friends at the airport).

To give off: Describes emitting something, for example El jardín despidió un dulce aroma (The garden gave off a sweet aroma).

Real Life Examples of Despedir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

La empresa despidió a varios empleados. (The company fired several employees.)Yo me despedí de mis amigos en el aeropuerto. (I said goodbye to my friends at the airport.)Ellos despidieron al director general. (They dismissed the general director.)Nos despedimos con un abrazo. (We said goodbye with a hug.)Tú te despediste sin decir nada. (You left without saying anything.)La familia despidió el año con alegría. (The family bid farewell to the year with joy.)Los estudiantes se despidieron del profesor. (The students said goodbye to the teacher.)Ustedes despidieron al guardia de seguridad. (You all fired the security guard.)El equipo despidió al entrenador. (The team fired the coach.)Nos despedimos hasta el próximo verano. (We said goodbye until next summer.)La gente despidió al artista con aplausos. (The people bid farewell to the artist with applause.)El jefe despidió al empleado problemático. (The boss fired the problematic employee.)Los novios se despidieron en la estación. (The couple said goodbye at the station.)Tú despediste el día con una sonrisa. (You bid farewell to the day with a smile.)El público despidió la obra con ovaciones. (The audience bid farewell to the play with ovations.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Despedir (to say goodbye/dismiss) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.