The Imperfect Tense of despedirse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, for example, Me despedía de mis amigos cada verano. (I used to say goodbye to my friends every summer.)

Despedirse is a regular -ir verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

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

The imperfect tense of despedirse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past.

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

To take leave: For example, El empleado se despedía de la empresa después de 20 años. (The employee was taking leave from the company after 20 years.)

To break up (colloquial): For example, Ella se despedía de su novio porque ya no lo quería. (She was breaking up with her boyfriend because she didn’t love him anymore.)

To dismiss someone (rude): For example, El jefe siempre se despedía de los empleados que no le caían bien. (The boss would always dismiss the employees he didn’t like.)

Examples

Examples of Despedirse in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, me despedía de mis padres todas las mañanas antes de ir a la escuela. (When I was a child, I would say goodbye to my parents every morning before going to school.)

Antes de salir de viaje, nos despedíamos de nuestros familiares en el aeropuerto. (Before leaving on a trip, we would say goodbye to our relatives at the airport.)

En la fiesta de graduación, me despedía de mis compañeros de clase con lágrimas en los ojos. (At the graduation party, I would say goodbye to my classmates with tears in my eyes.)

Cada vez que se despedía de su novia, le daba un abrazo apretado. (Every time he would say goodbye to his girlfriend, he would give her a tight hug.)

Cuando nos despedíamos de nuestros amigos, siempre prometíamos mantenernos en contacto. (When we would say goodbye to our friends, we would always promise to keep in touch.)

En las reuniones familiares, me despedía de todos con un beso en la mejilla. (At family gatherings, I would say goodbye to everyone with a kiss on the cheek.)

Antes de colgar el teléfono, se despedían diciendo “hasta luego”. (Before hanging up the phone, they would say goodbye by saying “hasta luego”.)

Cuando te despedías de tu mejor amigo, siempre le deseabas buena suerte. (When you would say goodbye to your best friend, you would always wish them good luck.)

En la oficina, me despedía de mis colegas con un apretón de manos. (At the office, I would say goodbye to my colleagues with a handshake.)

Antes de irme de vacaciones, me despedía de mi jefe con respeto. (Before going on vacation, I would say goodbye to my boss respectfully.)

Cuando se despedían de sus abuelos, les daban un fuerte abrazo. (When they would say goodbye to their grandparents, they would give them a big hug.)

En las fiestas, nos despedíamos de los anfitriones con un “gracias por todo”. (At parties, we would say goodbye to the hosts with a “thank you for everything”.)

Antes de mudarnos, nos despedíamos de nuestros vecinos con nostalgia. (Before moving, we would say goodbye to our neighbors with nostalgia.)

Cuando te despedías de tu pareja después de una discusión, siempre intentabas reconciliarte. (When you would say goodbye to your partner after an argument, you would always try to reconcile.)

En el último día de clases, me despedía de mis profesores con gratitud. (On the last day of classes, I would say goodbye to my teachers with gratitude.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.