despedir Present Conjugation
despedir — to fire
Despedir is a stem-changing verb (e > i) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
despedir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to discuss current job terminations or the habit of saying goodbye (often used reflexively as 'despedirse').
Notes on despedir in the Present
This is an 'e to i' stem changer. The 'e' in the root changes to 'i' in every form except for the 'we' and 'you all (Spain)' forms.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre me despido antes de salir.
I always say goodbye before leaving.
yo
La empresa despide a mucha gente este mes.
The company is firing a lot of people this month.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros nunca despedimos a nadie sin motivo.
We never fire anyone without a reason.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'despedo' instead of 'despido'.
Correct: The correct yo form is despido.
Why: Despedir follows the e > i pattern common in many -ir verbs.
Mistake: Changing the stem in the nosotros form (despidimos).
Correct: The correct form is despedimos.
Why: Stem changes almost never happen in the nosotros form in the present indicative.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: despedí
Despedir has a stem change (e > i) only in the third-person forms: despidió and despidieron.
Imperfect
yo: despedía
Despedir is regular in the imperfect: despedía, despedías, despedía, despedíamos, despedíais, despedían.
Future
yo: despediré
Despedir is completely regular in the future tense, using the full infinitive as the base.
Conditional
yo: despediría
The conditional of despedir is regular and formed by adding endings to the infinitive: despediría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: despida
The present subjunctive of despedir stem-changes e > i in ALL forms, including nosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: despidiera
Based on the third-person preterite, the imperfect subjunctive uses the 'i' stem: despidiera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: despide
The imperative uses 'despide' for tú and 'despida' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no despidas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive forms: no despidas, no despida.