Girar in the Present Tense

Girar means “to turn, to rotate”, and this page covers exactly one thing: girar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for girar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about girar in the present. For example: “Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce.” — I turn to the right at the crossroads. Everything on this page uses the forms of girar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Girar in the Present Tense — full table

Person	Form
yo	giro
tú	giras
él/ella/Ud.	gira
nosotros/as	giramos
vosotros/as	giráis
ellos/ellas/Uds.	giran

Gerund: girando · Past participle: girado

The gerund is girando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy girando” means the action of girar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is girado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he girado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how girar is used.

How the present of girar is formed

Girar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem gir and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving giro, giras, gira, giramos, giráis, giran. Watch the accents: the yo form is giro and the él/ella/Ud. form is gira.

When to use the present of girar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use girar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and girar is no exception. Example: “Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce todos los días.” — I turn to the right at the crossroads every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what girar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Gira la cabeza al oír su nombre.” — He/she turns my head on hearing his name.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo giro el volante con las dos manos ahora.” — I turn the steering wheel with both hands now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros giramos sobre sí mismo en la pista.” — We turn around in the middle of the rink.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú giras a la derecha en el cruce.” — You turn to the right at the crossroads.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

Present Tense: “Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce todos los días.” — I turn to the right at the crossroads every day.
Preterite: “Ayer, yo giré a la derecha en el cruce.” — Yesterday, I turned to the right at the crossroads.
The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.
Present Tense: “Él gira la cabeza al oír su nombre cada semana.” — He/she turns my head on hearing his name every week.
Preterite: “La semana pasada, él giró la cabeza al oír su nombre.” — Last week, he turned my head on hearing his name.
Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.
Present Tense: “Nosotros giramos el volante con las dos manos a menudo.” — We turn the steering wheel with both hands often.
Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros giramos el volante con las dos manos.” — Yesterday, we turned the steering wheel with both hands.
The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: girar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

“Giro a la derecha en el cruce.” — I turn to the right at the crossroads.
“Giras la cabeza al oír su nombre.” — You turn my head on hearing his name.
“Gira el volante con las dos manos.” — He/she turns the steering wheel with both hands.
“Giramos sobre sí mismo en la pista.” — We turn around in the middle of the rink.
“Giráis a la derecha en el cruce.” — You turn to the right at the crossroads.
“Giran la cabeza al oír su nombre.” — They turn my head on hearing his name.
“Giro el volante con las dos manos.” — I turn the steering wheel with both hands.
“Gira sobre sí mismo en la pista.” — He/she turns around in the middle of the rink.

Common mistakes with girar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

Wrong: “Ellos gira a la derecha en el cruce.” Right: “Ellos giran a la derecha en el cruce.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form giran. The singular gira belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Yo giro la cabeza al oír su nombre ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo giré la cabeza al oír su nombre.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to giré.
Wrong: “Nosotros giras el volante con las dos manos.” Right: “Nosotros giramos el volante con las dos manos.” Why: Nosotros needs giramos. The tú form giras belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos giro sobre sí mismo en la pista todos los días.” Right: “Ellos giran sobre sí mismo en la pista todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form giran, not the yo form giro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: girar in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ a la derecha en el cruce.” (To the right at the crossroads.)

(a) giro
(b) giras
(c) gira

Answer: giro — The yo form of girar in the present is giro. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ la cabeza al oír su nombre?” (My head on hearing his name.)

(a) giro
(b) gira
(c) giras

Answer: giras — The tú form of girar in the present is giras. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el volante con las dos manos.” (The steering wheel with both hands.)

(a) giras
(b) gira
(c) giro

Answer: gira — The él/ella/Ud. form of girar in the present is gira. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ sobre sí mismo en la pista.” (Around in the middle of the rink.)

(a) giramos
(b) giro
(c) giras

Answer: giramos — The nosotros/as form of girar in the present is giramos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of girar in the present?

(a) giro
(b) giras
(c) giráis

Answer: giráis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes giráis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros giráis a la derecha en el cruce.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la cabeza al oír su nombre.” (My head on hearing his name.)

(a) giras
(b) giran
(c) giro

Answer: giran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of girar in the present is giran. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of girar in the present?

(a) giro
(b) giras
(c) gira

Answer: giro — The yo form is giro. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

(a) Yo giré a la derecha en el cruce todos los días.
(b) Nosotros giraremos a la derecha en el cruce mañana.
(c) Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce todos los días.

Answer: Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce todos los días. — “Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is girar regular in the present?

Yes. Girar is regular in the present: giro, giras, gira, giramos, giráis, giran. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of girar?

The past participle is girado: 'He girado' means 'I have turned'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is girando.

Does girar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Girar is fully regular: giré, giraba, giraré. Girar la cabeza is to turn your head; doblar la esquina is to turn a corner. In the examples on this page, girar appears with complements such as a la derecha en el cruce and la cabeza al oír su nombre, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of girar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo giro, tú giras, él/ella/Ud. gira, nosotros/as giramos, vosotros/as giráis, ellos/ellas/Uds. giran. Then write three of your own sentences with girar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

Full conjugation of girar — every tense of girar in one place.
Girar examples and quiz — more sentences with girar and a ten-question quiz.
Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
Verb quiz — test yourself on girar and other verbs.

Girar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish | VerbFlow

Girar in the Present Tense