Girar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb girar means to turn, to rotate, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Girar means to turn or to rotate, and it is used for turning a wheel, turning your head, a planet rotating and a car turning. It is fully regular, and it is the verb for turning as a movement rather than turning a corner. Like every Spanish verb, girar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say giro a la derecha en el cruce, and in the preterite you say giré el volante con las dos manos. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: girar
  • English: to turn, to rotate
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: girando
  • Past participle: girado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + girado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for girar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Girar is fully regular: giré, giraba, giraré. Girar la cabeza is to turn your head; doblar la esquina is to turn a corner.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for girar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

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

Preterite

Person Form
yo giré
tú giraste
él/ella/Ud. giró
nosotros/as giramos
vosotros/as girasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. giraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo giraba
tú girabas
él/ella/Ud. giraba
nosotros/as girábamos
vosotros/as girabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. giraban

Future

Person Form
yo giraré
tú girarás
él/ella/Ud. girará
nosotros/as giraremos
vosotros/as giraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. girarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo giraría
tú girarías
él/ella/Ud. giraría
nosotros/as giraríamos
vosotros/as giraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. girarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he girado
tú has girado
él/ella/Ud. ha girado
nosotros/as hemos girado
vosotros/as habéis girado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han girado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había girado
tú habías girado
él/ella/Ud. había girado
nosotros/as habíamos girado
vosotros/as habíais girado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían girado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré girado
tú habrás girado
él/ella/Ud. habrá girado
nosotros/as habremos girado
vosotros/as habréis girado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán girado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría girado
tú habrías girado
él/ella/Ud. habría girado
nosotros/as habríamos girado
vosotros/as habríais girado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían girado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo gire
tú gires
él/ella/Ud. gire
nosotros/as giremos
vosotros/as giréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. giren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo girara
tú giraras
él/ella/Ud. girara
nosotros/as giráramos
vosotros/as girarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. giraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú gira
él/ella/Ud. gire
nosotros/as giremos
vosotros/as girad
ellos/ellas/Uds. giren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú gires
él/ella/Ud. gire
nosotros/as giremos
vosotros/as giréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. giren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund girando with estar for the progressive: estoy girando
Past participle girado with haber for the perfect tenses: he girado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Giro a la derecha en el cruce. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, giré la cabeza al oír su nombre. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, giraba el volante con las dos manos. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, giraré sobre sí mismo en la pista. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Giraría a la derecha en el cruce si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he girado la cabeza al oír su nombre. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había girado el volante con las dos manos antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré girado sobre sí mismo en la pista. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría girado a la derecha en el cruce con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él gire la cabeza al oír su nombre. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él girara el volante con las dos manos, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Gira sobre sí mismo en la pista! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For girar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No gires a la derecha en el cruce. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with girar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Giro a la derecha en el cruce. — I turn to the right at the crossroads.
  2. Gira la cabeza al oír su nombre. — He/she turns my head on hearing his name.
  3. Ayer, giré el volante con las dos manos. — Yesterday, I turned the steering wheel with both hands.
  4. Antes, nosotros girábamos sobre sí mismo en la pista. — Before, we used to turn around in the middle of the rink.
  5. Mañana, tú girarás a la derecha en el cruce. — Tomorrow, you will turn to the right at the crossroads.
  6. Yo giraría la cabeza al oír su nombre si tuviera más tiempo. — I would turn my head on hearing his name if I had more time.
  7. Él ha girado el volante con las dos manos. — He has turned the steering wheel with both hands.
  8. Espero que él gire sobre sí mismo en la pista. — I hope he turns around in the middle of the rink.
  9. Yo ya había girado a la derecha en el cruce antes de salir. — I had already turned to the right at the crossroads before leaving.
  10. Ellos giraban la cabeza al oír su nombre cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to turn my head on hearing his name when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo gira a la derecha en el cruce. — Right: Yo giro a la derecha en el cruce. — The person matters: gira is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is giro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo giro la cabeza al oír su nombre. — Right: Ayer yo giré la cabeza al oír su nombre. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: giro is happening now, while giré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating girar and doblar as identical in every context. — Right: Girar means to turn, to rotate, while doblar means to turn. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: girar fits sentences such as Giro a la derecha en el cruce, while doblar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy girado la cabeza al oír su nombre. — Right: Yo he girado la cabeza al oír su nombre. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he girado, has girado, ha girado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo giré el volante con las dos manos todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo giraba el volante con las dos manos todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (giraba), not the preterite. The preterite (giré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on girar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a la derecha en el cruce. (present tense) A. giro B. giras C. gira D. giramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la cabeza al oír su nombre. (preterite) A. giré B. giraste C. giraron D. giró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el volante con las dos manos. (imperfect) A. girabas B. giraban C. girábamos D. giraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sobre sí mismo en la pista. (future) A. giraremos B. girarás C. giraré D. girará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a la derecha en el cruce si pudiera. (conditional) A. giraría B. girarías C. girarían D. giro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cabeza al oír su nombre. (present subjunctive) A. gires B. giremos C. giro D. gire

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el volante con las dos manos, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. giráramos B. giro C. girara D. giraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sobre sí mismo en la pista. (present perfect) A. han girado B. hemos girado C. he girado D. has girado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a la derecha en el cruce! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. gira B. gire C. giremos D. girad

  10. Which is the gerund of girar, used with estar for the progressive? A. girado B. giro C. giré D. girando

Answer key

  1. giro — The first-person present of girar is giro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. giró — The third-person preterite of girar is giró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. girábamos — The nosotros imperfect of girar is girábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. girarás — The second-person future of girar is girarás.
  5. giraría — The first-person conditional of girar is giraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. gire — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of girar is gire.
  7. girara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of girar is girara.
  8. hemos girado — The nosotros present perfect of girar is hemos girado: hemos + girado.
  9. gira — The affirmative tú imperative of girar is gira.
  10. girando — The gerund of girar is girando: estoy girando. The participle girado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does girar mean in English?

Girar means to turn, to rotate. It is used in everyday situations such as Giro a la derecha en el cruce. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is girar regular or irregular?

Girar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including giro in the present and giré in the preterite.

What is the difference between girar and doblar?

Girar means to turn, to rotate, while doblar means to turn. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use girar when you mean to turn, to rotate, as in Giro a la derecha en el cruce, and use doblar for to turn. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I turn” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo giré la cabeza al oír su nombre. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo giraba el volante con las dos manos. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he girado la cabeza al oír su nombre.

How do I practise girar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the girar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links