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despachar

des-pah-CHAR/despaˈt͡ʃaɾ/

“despachar” means “to serve” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to serve, to dispatch

Also: to sell
VerbB1regular ar
A shopkeeper handing a brown paper bag to a customer across a wooden counter.
gerunddespachando
past Participledespachado
infinitivedespachar

📝 In Action

La dependienta está despachando al último cliente.

A2

The shop assistant is serving the last customer.

Necesitamos despachar estos paquetes antes de las cinco.

B1

We need to dispatch these packages before five o'clock.

En esta farmacia despachan medicamentos con receta.

B1

In this pharmacy, they sell/dispense prescription medications.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • despachar mercancía – to dispatch goods
  • despachar un pedido – to process/send an order

to deal with, to finish off

Also: to dismiss
VerbB2regular ar
An organized stack of colorful file folders sitting on a clean desk next to a pen.

📝 In Action

Despachó todos los correos en una hora.

B1

He dealt with all the emails in an hour.

El jefe lo despachó sin darle explicaciones.

B2

The boss dismissed him without giving any explanations.

Tenemos que despachar este asunto hoy mismo.

B2

We have to settle/finish this matter this very day.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • despachar un asunto – to handle a matter
  • despachar por la vía rápida – to deal with something quickly

Idioms & Expressions

  • despacharse a gusto – To speak one's mind freely or to eat a lot

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdespacharan
yodespachara
túdespacharas
vosotrosdespacharais
nosotrosdespacháramos
él/ella/usteddespachara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdespachen
yodespache
túdespaches
vosotrosdespachéis
nosotrosdespachemos
él/ella/usteddespache

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesdespacharon
yodespaché
túdespachaste
vosotrosdespachasteis
nosotrosdespachamos
él/ella/usteddespachó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdespachaban
yodespachaba
túdespachabas
vosotrosdespachabais
nosotrosdespachábamos
él/ella/usteddespachaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdespachan
yodespacho
túdespachas
vosotrosdespacháis
nosotrosdespachamos
él/ella/usteddespacha
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "despachar" in Spanish:

to dismiss→to dispatch→to sell→to serve→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: despachar

Question 1 of 3

If you are in a bakery and the worker says '¿A quién le toca despachar?', what are they asking?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
despacho(office / study) — Noun
despachante(shipping agent) — Noun
despachador(dispatcher) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Old French word 'despescher', which meant to free or to hasten. It is the opposite of 'impedir' (to impede).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: dispatchFrench: dépêcher

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'despachar' mean 'to fire' someone?

Yes, in some contexts it can be a more formal or abrupt way to say someone was dismissed from their job.

Is 'despachar' used for eating?

Yes, informally. You might hear 'se despachó toda la pizza,' meaning they polished off or ate the whole pizza quickly.

Is it the same as 'enviar'?

Close, but 'despachar' often implies a formal business process of sending goods out, whereas 'enviar' is the general word for 'to send'.