The Present Tense of despedirse is used to describe the act of saying goodbye or taking leave in the present moment. For example, Me despido de mis amigos. (I say goodbye to my friends.)

Despedirse is an e to i stem-changing verb, meaning the e in the verb stem changes to i in all present tense forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Despedirse (to say goodbye) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Despedirse generally means to say goodbye or take leave, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To say goodbye: For example, Me despido de mis amigos antes de irme a casa. (I say goodbye to my friends before going home.)

To take leave: For example, El empleado se despide de su jefe al final del día. (The employee takes leave of their boss at the end of the day.)

To quit or resign: For example, La secretaria se despide de la empresa después de 10 años. (The secretary quits/resigns from the company after 10 years.)

To dismiss or fire (colloquial): For example, El jefe lo despide por llegar tarde. (The boss fires him for being late.)

To get rid of or ditch (slang): For example, Me despido de este coche viejo y compro uno nuevo. (I’m getting rid of this old car and buying a new one.)

Examples

Examples of Despedirse in the Present Tense

Antes de irme a la oficina, me despido de mi familia. (Before leaving for the office, I say goodbye to my family.)

Cuando termina la fiesta, te despides de los anfitriones. (When the party ends, you say goodbye to the hosts.)

Al final de la reunión, el presidente se despide de todos los asistentes. (At the end of the meeting, the president says goodbye to all attendees.)

Antes de salir de viaje, nos despedimos de nuestros amigos y vecinos. (Before leaving on a trip, we say goodbye to our friends and neighbors.)

Cuando os despedís de vuestros compañeros de trabajo, les deseáis un buen fin de semana. (When you say goodbye to your coworkers, you wish them a good weekend.)

Al final de la reunión familiar, todos se despiden con abrazos y besos. (At the end of the family gathering, everyone says goodbye with hugs and kisses.)

Cuando sales de la oficina por la noche, te despides del guardia de seguridad. (When you leave the office at night, you say goodbye to the security guard.)

En el aeropuerto, me despido de mi amiga que se va de viaje. (At the airport, I say goodbye to my friend who is going on a trip.)

Después de la cena, se despiden de los anfitriones y les agradecen por la velada. (After dinner, they say goodbye to the hosts and thank them for the evening.)

Cuando nos despedimos de nuestros vecinos, les deseamos un feliz año nuevo. (When we say goodbye to our neighbors, we wish them a happy new year.)

Al terminar la reunión, el jefe se despide de todos y les recuerda la próxima cita. (At the end of the meeting, the boss says goodbye to everyone and reminds them of the next appointment.)

Cuando te despides de tus amigos después de una noche de fiesta, les dices “¡Nos vemos pronto!”. (When you say goodbye to your friends after a night out, you tell them “See you soon!”)

Antes de colgar el teléfono, me despido de mi madre con un “Te quiero”. (Before hanging up the phone, I say goodbye to my mother with an “I love you”.)

En la boda, os despedís de los novios deseándoles una luna de miel maravillosa. (At the wedding, you say goodbye to the newlyweds wishing them a wonderful honeymoon.)

Cuando se despiden de sus compañeros de clase, intercambian números de teléfono para mantenerse en contacto. (When they say goodbye to their classmates, they exchange phone numbers to stay in touch.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Despedirse (to say goodbye) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.