despedido
/despedido/from spelling rules
The English phrase dismissed is translated into Spanish as despedido.
To express the passive state of being dismissed, you typically use the verb ser (to be) followed by despedido, such as in the phrase ser despedido.
Which one should you use?
While despedido is the standard term for being fired from a job, it is not used for dismissing a thought or a legal case. For those instances, you would use descartar or desestimar.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, especially in the Caribbean region, botar is commonly used to mean to dismiss or to fire.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form must agree in number: use despedidos for a group of men or a mixed-gender group, and use despedidas for a group consisting only of women.
How do you pronounce it?
/despedido/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the verb despedir can mean to say 'goodbye' rather than to fire someone. This is why the phrase despedirse is used to describe the act of taking one's leave.
- While despedido refers to employment, the verb botar is used colloquially in many Latin American countries to mean 'to throw away' or 'to toss'. This makes the metaphor of being 'thrown out' of a job very common.
- In some professional settings, the euphemism prescindir de sus servicios is used instead of despedido. It literally means 'to do without your services', avoiding the harshness of the word 'fired'.
Examples in context
- Aún no te he despedido.I haven't dismissed you yet.Tatoeba #4381469 by pchamorro, translation #3728111 by CM
- Tom fue despedido sin previo aviso.Tom was dismissed without notice.Tatoeba #1662074 by teskmon, translation #36995 by CM
- No hay razón para que él sea despedido.There is no reason why he should be dismissed.Tatoeba #1205461 by marcelostockle, translation #283470 by CM
- Desafortunadamente, Juan fue despedido de su trabajo por bajo rendimiento.Unfortunately, Juan was dismissed from his job due to poor performance.
- El contrato de María fue terminado debido a su inasistencia crónica.Maria's contract was terminated due to her chronic absenteeism.
- Ramón fue apartado del equipo de fútbol por su comportamiento irrespetuoso.Ramon was dismissed from the soccer team due to his disrespectful behavior.
- Los empleados que llegan tarde constantemente pueden ser botados de la empresa.Employees who are constantly late can be fired from the company.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía is asking Alejandro about his coworker's status.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿sabes algo de Pablo?Sofía, do you know anything about Pablo?
- SofíaSí, me dijeron que fue despedido.Yes, they told me he was dismissed.
- Alejandro¡Qué mala noticia!What bad news!
- SofíaEs verdad, fue despedido esta mañana.It's true, he was dismissed this morning.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
