Despidí

Despidí is not a standard verb form in contemporary Spanish. It is commonly treated as a misspelling or typographical variant of the first-person preterite form “despedí” (yo form) of the verb despedir. Despedir means to dismiss or to fire someone from a job, and it can also mean to bid farewell in the sense of taking leave. The reflexive form despedirse means to say goodbye or to part from someone.

The verb despedir comes from the prefix des- combined with pedir (to ask or request), and it has two main senses in modern usage: (1) to dismiss or discharge someone from employment; (2) to bid farewell, as in despedir a party or despedirse de alguien. Despedir es transitive, so it requires a direct object when referring to firing someone (despedí a los empleados). Despedirse is pronominal, indicating the subject leaves or takes leave (me despedí, te despediste, se despidió, etc.).

Conjugation (selected forms): present tense—despido, despides, despide, despedimos, despedís, despiden; preterite—despedí, despediste, despidió, despedimos, despedisteis, despidieron; imperfect—despedía, despedías, despedía, despedíamos, despedíais, despedían; participle—despedido. Note that the third-person forms involve a stem change to despid- and a regular -ir verb preterite ending, with despidió and despidieron as correct forms.

In usage, ensure the intended meaning is clear: whether you mean I fired someone (despedí a alguien) or I said goodbye (me despedí de alguien). Avoid using despidí as a standalone correct form; use despedí instead.