Introduction
Dirigir means “to direct”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Dirigir means to direct or to lead, and it covers directing a film, leading a company, directing traffic and addressing words to someone: dirigir una empresa, dirigir la palabra a alguien. It is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo dirijo and the subjunctive dirija. This page shows dirigir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Dirijo una empresa grande.” — I direct a big company.
Dirigir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how dirigir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use dirigir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Dirijo una empresa grande.” — I direct a big company.
“¿Diriges una película de acción?” — Do you direct an action film?
“Dirige la palabra al público.” — He/she directs words to the audience.
“Nosotros dirigimos el tráfico en la plaza.” — We direct traffic in the square.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show dirigir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo dirigí una empresa grande.” — Yesterday, I directed a big company. (preterite)
“Antes, él dirigía una película de acción.” — Before, he used to direct an action film. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of dirigir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros dirigiremos la palabra al público.” — Tomorrow, we will direct words to the audience. (future)
“¿Tú has dirigido el tráfico en la plaza?” — Have you directed traffic in the square? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros dirigís una empresa grande.” — You direct a big company.
“Ellos dirigen una película de acción.” — They direct an action film.
“Yo dirijo la palabra al público.” — I direct words to the audience.
“Mi padre dirige el tráfico en la plaza.” — My father directs traffic in the square.
Dirigir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how dirigir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú diriges una película de acción?” — Do you direct an action film?
Pedro: “Sí, yo dirijo una empresa grande.” — Yes, I direct a big company.
Marta: “Nosotros dirigimos el tráfico en la plaza.” — We direct traffic in the square.
Pedro: “Y ellos dirigen una película de acción.” — And they direct an action film.
Marta: “Vosotros dirigís la palabra al público.” — You direct words to the audience.
Pedro: “Sí, y él dirige una empresa grande.” — Yes, and he directs a big company.
A short paragraph
Dirige una empresa grande, y nosotros dirigimos el tráfico en la plaza. Yo dirijo una película de acción, y ellos dirigen la palabra al público. Dirigir is part of everyday life, because direct is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with dirigir
These are the errors learners actually make with dirigir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo dirige una empresa grande.” Right: “Yo dirijo una empresa grande.” Why: The person matters: dirige is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is dirijo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo dirigo una película de acción.” Right: “Yo dirijo una película de acción.” Why: Dirigir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is dirijo and the present subjunctive is dirija. The form dirijo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
Wrong: “Treating dirigir and presidir as identical in every context.” Right: “Dirigir means to direct, while presidir means to preside over.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: dirigir fits sentences such as Dirijo una empresa grande, while presidir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy dirigido una película de acción.” Right: “Yo he dirigido una película de acción.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he dirigido, has dirigido, ha dirigido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo dirigí la palabra al público todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo dirigía la palabra al público todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (dirigía), not the preterite. The preterite (dirigí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: dirigir in use
Ten questions on dirigir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una empresa grande.” (You direct a big company.)
- (a) dirigís
- (b) dirijo
- (c) diriges
Answer: dirigís — The vosotros/as form of dirigir in the present tense is dirigís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una película de acción.” (They direct an action film.)
- (a) diriges
- (b) dirigen
- (c) dirijo
Answer: dirigen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of dirigir in the present tense is dirigen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ una empresa grande.” (Yesterday I directed a big company.)
- (a) dirigiste
- (b) dirigió
- (c) dirigí
Answer: dirigí — In the preterite, the yo form of dirigir is dirigí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ una película de acción.” (Before, he used to direct an action film.)
- (a) dirigía
- (b) dirijo
- (c) dirigías
Answer: dirigía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of dirigir is dirigía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ la palabra al público.” (Tomorrow we will direct words to the audience.)
- (a) dirigirás
- (b) dirigiremos
- (c) dirigiré
Answer: dirigiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of dirigir is dirigiremos.
6. What does dirigir mean in English?
- (a) to direct
- (b) to spread, to broadcast
- (c) to preside over
Answer: to direct — Dirigir means “to direct”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo dirige una empresa grande.
- (b) Ellos dirige una película de acción.
- (c) Yo dirijo una empresa grande.
Answer: Yo dirijo una empresa grande. — “Yo dirijo una empresa grande.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I direct a big company.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre dirige el tráfico en la plaza.
- (b) Dirijo una empresa grande.
- (c) Dirigen una empresa grande.
Answer: Dirijo una empresa grande. — “Dirijo una empresa grande.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of dirigir in the present tense?
- (a) dirijo
- (b) diriges
- (c) dirigimos
Answer: dirigimos — The nosotros form is dirigimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros dirigiremos la palabra al público.
- (b) Dirijo una empresa grande.
- (c) Ayer, yo dirigí una empresa grande.
Answer: Dirijo una empresa grande. — “Dirijo una empresa grande.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I direct a big company' in Spanish?
Say 'Dirijo una empresa grande'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Dirijo una empresa grande todos los días'.
How do you say 'He directs an action film' in Spanish?
Say 'Él dirige una película de acción'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes dirige.
What is the difference between dirigir and presidir?
Dirigir means to direct, while presidir means to preside over. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use dirigir when you mean to direct, as in 'Dirijo una empresa grande', and use presidir for to preside over.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of dirigir — every tense of dirigir in one place.
- Dirigir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on dirigir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of dirigir until they are automatic.