Gobernar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb gobernar means to govern, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Gobernar means to govern a country, a region or a city: gobernar el país, gobernar la ciudad. It is the everyday verb for governing, used in news and history. Like every Spanish verb, gobernar 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 Yo gobierno el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: gobernar
  • English: to govern
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: gobernando
  • Past participle: gobernado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + gobernado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for gobernar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for gobernar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobierno | | tú | gobiernas | | él/ella/Ud. | gobierna | | nosotros/as | gobernamos | | vosotros/as | gobernáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobiernan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | goberné | | tú | gobernaste | | él/ella/Ud. | gobernó | | nosotros/as | gobernamos | | vosotros/as | gobernasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobernaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobernaba | | tú | gobernabas | | él/ella/Ud. | gobernaba | | nosotros/as | gobernábamos | | vosotros/as | gobernabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobernaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobernaré | | tú | gobernarás | | él/ella/Ud. | gobernará | | nosotros/as | gobernaremos | | vosotros/as | gobernaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobernarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobernaría | | tú | gobernarías | | él/ella/Ud. | gobernaría | | nosotros/as | gobernaríamos | | vosotros/as | gobernaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobernarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobierne | | tú | gobiernes | | él/ella/Ud. | gobierne | | nosotros/as | gobernemos | | vosotros/as | gobernéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobiernen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | gobernara | | tú | gobernaras | | él/ella/Ud. | gobernara | | nosotros/as | gobernáramos | | vosotros/as | gobernarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobernaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | gobierna | | él/ella/Ud. | gobierne | | nosotros/as | gobernemos | | vosotros/as | gobernad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobiernen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | gobiernes | | él/ella/Ud. | gobierne | | nosotros/as | gobernemos | | vosotros/as | gobernéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | gobiernen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund gobernando with estar for the progressive: está gobernando
Past participle gobernado with haber for the perfect tenses: he gobernado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis. For gobernar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo gobierno el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand".

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 gobernar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo goberné la región desde la capital — "Yesterday, I governed the region from the capital".

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 gobernar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo gobernaba la ciudad durante diez años — "As a child, I used to govern the city for ten years".

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 gobernar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo gobernaré con justicia y prudencia — "Tomorrow, I will govern with justice and prudence".

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 gobernar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo gobernaría el país con mano firme si pudiera — "I would govern the country with a firm hand if I could".

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 gobernar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he gobernado la región desde la capital — "Today, I have governed the region from the capital".

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 gobernar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había gobernado la ciudad durante diez años antes de salir — "I already had governed the city for ten years before leaving".

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 gobernar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré gobernado con justicia y prudencia — "By tomorrow, I will have governed with justice and prudence".

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 gobernar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría gobernado el país con mano firme con más tiempo — "I would have governed the country with a firm hand with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis. For gobernar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él gobierne la región desde la capital — "I hope he governs the region from the capital".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 gobernar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo gobernara la ciudad durante diez años, todo cambiaría — "If I governed the city for ten years, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis. For gobernar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Gobierna con justicia y prudencia. — "Govern with justice and prudence.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis. For gobernar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No gobiernes el país con mano firme. — "Do not govern the country with a firm hand.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo gobierno el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand"
  2. Mi amigo gobierna la región desde la capital — "My friend governs the region from the capital"
  3. Ayer, yo goberné la ciudad durante diez años — "Yesterday, I governed the city for ten years"
  4. Antes, nosotros gobernábamos con justicia y prudencia — "Before, we used to govern with justice and prudence"
  5. Mañana, tú gobernarás la isla desde el palacio — "Tomorrow, you will govern the island from the palace"
  6. Yo gobernaría el país con mano firme si tuviera más tiempo — "I would govern the country with a firm hand if I had more time"
  7. Él ha gobernado la región desde la capital — "He has governed the region from the capital"
  8. Espero que él gobierne la ciudad durante diez años — "I hope he governs the city for ten years"
  9. Yo ya había gobernado con justicia y prudencia antes de salir — "I already had governed with justice and prudence before leaving"
  10. Ellos gobernaban la isla desde el palacio cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to govern the island from the palace when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo goberno la región desde la capital. — Right: Yo gobierno la región desde la capital. — gobernar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is gobierno, not goberno.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él gobierna la región desde la capital — Right: Espero que él gobierne la región desde la capital — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él gobierne la región desde la capital — not the indicative Espero que él gobierna la región desde la capital.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo gobierno la ciudad durante diez años — Right: Ayer, yo goberné la ciudad durante diez años — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo goberné la ciudad durante diez años.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo goberné con justicia y prudencia todos los días — Right: De niño, yo gobernaba con justicia y prudencia todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo gobernaba con justicia y prudencia todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo gobierno en el país con mano firme. — Right: Yo gobierno el país con mano firme. — gobernar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo gobierno el país con mano firme.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand" (present) A. gobierna B. gobernamos C. gobierno D. gobiernas

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la región desde la capital — "He governed the region from the capital" (preterite) A. goberné B. gobernaste C. gobernamos D. gobernó

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ciudad durante diez años — "We used to govern the city for ten years" (imperfect) A. gobernaba B. gobernabas C. gobernabais D. gobernábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ con justicia y prudencia — "You will govern with justice and prudence" (future) A. gobernaremos B. gobernarás C. gobernaré D. gobernará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la isla desde el palacio — "I would govern the island from the palace" (conditional) A. gobernarías B. gobernaríamos C. gobernaríais D. gobernaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el país con mano firme — "I hope he governs the country with a firm hand" (present subjunctive) A. gobernemos B. gobernéis C. gobierne D. gobiernes

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la región desde la capital, todo cambiaría — "If I governed the region from the capital, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. gobernaras B. gobernáramos C. gobernarais D. gobernara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ la ciudad durante diez años — "We have governed the city for ten years" (present perfect) A. he gobernado B. has gobernado C. ha gobernado D. hemos gobernado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ con justicia y prudencia. — "Do not govern with justice and prudence." (negative imperative) A. gobernéis B. gobiernes C. gobierne D. gobernemos

  10. Which is the gerund of gobernar, used with estar for the progressive? A. gobierno B. goberné C. gobernando D. gobernado

Answer key

  1. gobierno — The present form for yo is gobierno.
  2. gobernó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is gobernó.
  3. gobernábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is gobernábamos.
  4. gobernarás — The future form for tú is gobernarás.
  5. gobernaría — The conditional form for yo is gobernaría.
  6. gobierne — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is gobierne.
  7. gobernara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is gobernara.
  8. hemos gobernado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos gobernado.
  9. gobiernes — The negative imperative form is gobiernes.
  10. gobernando — The gerund of gobernar is gobernando: estoy gobernando. The participle gobernado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does gobernar mean in English?

gobernar means to govern. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo gobierno el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is gobernar regular?

No. gobernar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna and gobiernan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: gobernamos, gobernáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of gobernar?

The gerund is gobernando and the past participle is gobernado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I govern" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo goberné la región desde la capital — "Yesterday, I governed the region from the capital". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo gobernaba la ciudad durante diez años — "As a child, I used to govern the city for ten years". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he gobernado la región desde la capital — "Today, I have governed the region from the capital".

What is the difference between gobernar and regir?

Regir is the more formal and literary synonym. Gobernar is the verb you will hear in the news and in everyday political language. Gobernar means to govern a country, a region or a city: gobernar el país, gobernar la ciudad. It is the everyday verb for governing, used in news and history.

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