How to use verbs such as despedirse/despedir

Question

Ok I've tried to ask his before but I didn't explain it very well. My question is, with verbs that have different meanings depending on if they have a "se," how are things phrased when you have direct objects and stuff? It's like I feel like I have a lot of se-s, te-s, le-s, and where do they go?

Ej: He said goodbye (where you need the -se) to me is : "Se me despidió," or "Se despidio a mi" ?

Get what I'm saying? You have to have the -se b/c it changes the verb to "to say goodbye," but you also need the me b/c that's who's being told goodbye, me.

But "he fired him" with only despedir, is that "Le despidió", or "Despidio a el"? (That's kind of the answer I got before.) "They fired me" is "Me despidieron" ?

Or like enojarse. Yeah, me enojo is I get mad, but what about "You're making me mad," how is that? Can you just say "Me enojas" or should that be "Me estas enojando?"

I just want things to sound right when I say them, and I ask b/c before I used burlarse as an example, and I was told "No te burles DE mi" is better that "No te me burles," which I agree, but does that apply to all verbs like this or what? Thanks!

• edited, sorry! - Ashlita Aug 19, 2010

Answer 1

Despedir has several meanings, but the most common ones are to fire, to dismiss, to evict,... It also means to see/show someone out of a house or shop, and to see someone off to a particular place (eg. a station). The context will determine its meaning.

Despedirse de [alguien] means to say goodbye to that person.

Ej: He said goodbye to me is : "Me despidió", correct?

"Se despidió de mí" would be more appropriate. "Me despidió", without any information about your leaving, sounds like he sacked you from your job.

But "he fired him" with despedirSE, is that "se le despidió", or "se despidió a el"? (That's kind of the answer I got before.)

Both sentences are wrong. If you say "despedirse", you must say "de" afterwards (unless you are firing yourself, of course), and it means "to say goodbye". The sentence would be "Se despidió de él" (He/she said goodbye to him.)

Or like enojarse. Yeah, me enojo is I get mad, but what about "You're making me mad," how is that? Can you just say "Me enojas" or should that be "Me estas enojando?"

"Me enojas" is used more when you annoy me every at times, whereas "Me estás enojando" means right now.

• I was taught: despedirle a aguien, means to fire someone. El jefe despidió a su empleado. Is/isn't this correct? - Sheily Aug 19, 2010
• alguien...where did the le go from your template to your example? - qfreed Aug 19, 2010
• Oops, sorry, alguien, thanks, and yes, I meant just "despedir a"/to let someone go - Sheily Aug 19, 2010

Answer 2

I just realized I got that totally backwards, I so knew that despedirSE is goodbye I don't know why in the world I said that...but my fundamental question was how to phrase verbs like this, when sometimes they have the -se and sometimes they don't...so would you say it;s usually followed by a de ?