The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Despedirse is used to give direct orders or instructions for saying goodbye, for example Despídete de tus amigos. (Say goodbye to your friends.)

This verb follows the e to i stem-changing conjugation pattern, where the stem vowel changes from ‘e’ to ‘i’ in certain forms.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Despedirse (to say goodbye) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Despedirse generally means “to say goodbye” or “to take leave”, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To bid farewell or say goodbye, for example, Despídete de tus amigos antes de irte. (Say goodbye to your friends before you leave.)

To quit or resign: To leave a job or position, for example, Despídete de tu trabajo si ya no te gusta. (Quit your job if you don’t like it anymore.)

To dismiss or fire: To terminate someone’s employment, for example, Despídete a ese empleado si no cumple con sus obligaciones. (Fire that employee if they don’t fulfill their duties.)

To get rid of or discard: To remove or throw away something, for example, Despídete de esas cosas viejas que ya no usas. (Get rid of those old things you don’t use anymore.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American contexts, it can mean to insult or mock someone in a dismissive way, for example, Despídete de ese tipo, no vale la pena. (Dismiss that guy, he’s not worth it.)

Examples

Examples of Despedirse in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

Antes de irte, despídete de tus amigos. (Before you leave, say goodbye to your friends.)

Por favor, despídase de la reunión con un apretón de manos. (Please say goodbye to the meeting with a handshake.)

Vamos a despedirnos de este año con una gran fiesta. (Let’s say goodbye to this year with a big party.)

Cuando termines tu turno, despídete del cliente con una sonrisa. (When you finish your shift, say goodbye to the customer with a smile.)

Antes de colgar, despídanse de sus familiares con un “los quiero”. (Before hanging up, say goodbye to your family with an “I love you”.)

Al final de la clase, despídase del profesor con un “gracias”. (At the end of the class, say goodbye to the teacher with a “thank you”.)

Cuando te vayas de vacaciones, despídete de tus vecinos para que cuiden tu casa. (When you go on vacation, say goodbye to your neighbors so they can watch your house.)

Antes de cambiar de trabajo, despídanse de sus compañeros con un abrazo. (Before changing jobs, say goodbye to your coworkers with a hug.)

Al terminar la llamada, despídanse formalmente diciendo “que tengan un buen día”. (At the end of the call, say goodbye formally by saying “have a good day”.)

Cuando te gradúes, despídete de tus compañeros de clase con un brindis. (When you graduate, say goodbye to your classmates with a toast.)

Antes de mudarte, despídete de tus vecinos con una pequeña fiesta. (Before moving, say goodbye to your neighbors with a small party.)

Cuando te retires, despídete de tus colegas con un discurso emotivo. (When you retire, say goodbye to your colleagues with an emotional speech.)

Al final del día, despídanse de sus hijos con un beso en la frente. (At the end of the day, say goodbye to your children with a kiss on the forehead.)

Cuando termines tu relación, despídete de tu pareja con respeto y honestidad. (When you end your relationship, say goodbye to your partner with respect and honesty.)

Antes de irte de viaje, despídete de tus mascotas con mimos y caricias. (Before going on a trip, say goodbye to your pets with petting and affection.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Despedirse (to say goodbye) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.