vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Saludarse" is a reciprocal verb which is often translated as "to greet one another", and "despedirse" is a pronominal verb which is often translated as "to say goodbye". Learn more about the difference between "saludarse" and "despedirse" below.
saludarse(
sah
-
loo
-
dahr
-
seh
)A reciprocal verb is a verb that indicates that two or more subjects perform an action on each other (e.g., Ellos se abrazan.).
a. to greet one another
Se saludan cada mañana al llegar a trabajar. They greet one another every morning when they get to work.
saludar
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to say hello to
Vi a Sandra en la tienda ayer y la saludé.I saw Sandra at the store yesterday and said hello to her.
b. to greet
La maestra saluda a los estudiantes en la puerta.The teacher greets her students at the door.
c. to say hi to
Te vi en el centro comercial ayer, pero no me saludaste.I saw you in the mall yesterday but you didn't say hi to me.
3. (military)
4. (to gesture)
a. to wave to
La princesa saludó al pueblo desde su coche.The princess waved to the people from her car.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
5. (to gesture)
a. to wave
El presidente saludó antes de comenzar su discurso.The president waved before beginning his speech.
despedirse(
dehs
-
peh
-
deer
-
seh
)A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
a. to say goodbye
¡Nos despedimos del 2023 con muchos fuegos artificiales!We said goodbye to 2023 with a lot of fireworks!
despedir
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to say goodbye to
Despidió a su amiga para irse a clase.She said goodbye to her friend and headed to class.
b. to see off
Mi hermana va a viajar por Europa, así que vamos a despedirla al aeropuerto.My sister's going traveling around Europe, so we're seeing her off at the airport.
a. to fire (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Despidieron al empleado acusado de acoso sexual.They fired the employee accused of sexual harassment.
b. to dismiss
Un empleador no puede despedir a un empleado fijo sin tener un motivo de peso.An employer can't dismiss a permanent employee without good reason.
c. to lay off
Despidieron a miles de trabajadores durante la crisis financiera.Thousands of employees were laid off during the financial crisis.
d. to sack (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
No entiendo por qué me despidieron. Yo hacía exactamente lo que me pedían que hiciera.I don't understand why they sacked me. I was doing exactly what they asked me to do.
e. to give the sack (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Descubrieron que su contable les estaba robando y lo despidieron.They found out their accountant was stealing from them and they gave him the sack.
f. to let go
Me temo que tenemos que despedirte porque necesitamos hacer recortes.I'm afraid we're going to have to let you go because we need to make cutbacks.
g. to make redundant (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
En 2015 la empresa hizo una reestructuración de personal y despidió a 50 empleados.In 2015 the company restructured its workforce and made 50 employees redundant.
4. (to emit)
a. to give off
El hedor que despedía era como el de una tumba.The stench he gave off was like that of a tomb.
