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Conjugation Chart

“Despedir” (to say goodbye) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Despedir”

The Imperfect Tense of despedir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo despedía a los empleados que llegaban tarde. (I used to dismiss the employees who arrived late.)

Despedir is a regular -ir verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Despedir in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of despedir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To dismiss or fire someone from a job: Por ejemplo, Mi jefe me despedía cada vez que llegaba tarde. (My boss used to fire me every time I was late.)

To say goodbye: Por ejemplo, Siempre despedíamos a los invitados con un abrazo. (We always used to say goodbye to the guests with a hug.)

To emit or give off (slang): Por ejemplo, El carro viejo despedía un humo negro. (The old car used to give off black smoke.)

To break up or end a relationship (colloquial): Por ejemplo, Despedía a mis novias cada dos meses. (I used to break up with my girlfriends every two months.)

Real Life Examples of Despedir in the Imperfect Tense

Yo despedía a mis amigos con un abrazo después de cada reunión. (I used to say goodbye to my friends with a hug after every gathering.)

Ella despedía a los clientes con una sonrisa y les deseaba un buen día. (She would bid farewell to customers with a smile and wish them a good day.)

Nosotros despedíamos el año viejo con una gran fiesta y fuegos artificiales. (We used to see off the old year with a big party and fireworks.)

Ellos despedían a los empleados que no cumplían con sus obligaciones. (They would let go of employees who did not fulfill their duties.)

Tú despedías a tu novia con un beso apasionado antes de irte a trabajar. (You would say goodbye to your girlfriend with a passionate kiss before going to work.)

Cuando era niño, mi abuela despedía a los invitados con un plato de comida para llevar. (When I was a child, my grandmother would see off guests with a plate of food to take home.)

En la empresa, despedían a los trabajadores de manera respetuosa y les ofrecían una compensación justa. (At the company, they would let go of workers in a respectful manner and offer them fair compensation.)

Mis padres despedían el año con una cena familiar y brindaban por un nuevo comienzo. (My parents would see off the year with a family dinner and toast to a new beginning.)

Antes de salir de viaje, despedía a mis mascotas con caricias y les prometía volver pronto. (Before going on a trip, I would say goodbye to my pets with pats and promise to return soon.)

En la escuela, los maestros despedían a los estudiantes con palabras de aliento y les deseaban éxito en sus futuros proyectos. (At school, teachers would bid farewell to students with words of encouragement and wish them success in their future endeavors.)

Cuando terminaba un proyecto, despedía a mi equipo con un agradecimiento sincero por su arduo trabajo. (When a project ended, I would say goodbye to my team with a sincere thank you for their hard work.)

En las fiestas, despedíamos a los invitados con abrazos y les decíamos que volvieran pronto. (At parties, we would see off guests with hugs and tell them to come back soon.)

Ella despedía a su novio con lágrimas en los ojos cada vez que se iba de viaje. (She would bid farewell to her boyfriend with tears in her eyes every time he went on a trip.)

Cuando era joven, despedía el verano con una última fiesta en la playa con mis amigos. (When I was young, I would see off the summer with one last beach party with my friends.)

En el ejército, despedían a los soldados con honores y les agradecían por su servicio. (In the army, they would bid farewell to soldiers with honors and thank them for their service.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Despedir (to say goodbye) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.