Guiar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

guiar means "to guide" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Guiar means to guide someone or something: guiar a los turistas, guiar el coche. The present has a written accent on the í: guío, guías, guía, guían — the accent is part of the form. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of guiar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the guiar present tense page.

guiar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city"
  2. Mi amigo guía al grupo por el museo — "My friend guides the group through the museum"
  3. Mañana, tú guiarás a su hijo en sus estudios — "Tomorrow, you will guide his son in his studies"
  4. Yo guiaría el coche por la carretera si pudiera — "I would guide the car along the road if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo guie a los turistas por la ciudad — "Yesterday, I guided the tourists around the city"
  2. Antes, nosotros guiábamos al grupo por el museo — "Before, we used to guide the group through the museum"
  3. Él ha guiado a su hijo en sus estudios — "He has guided his son in his studies"
  4. Yo ya había guiado el coche por la carretera antes de salir — "I already had guided the car along the road before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él guíe a los turistas por la ciudad — "I hope he guides the tourists around the city"
  2. Si yo guiara al grupo por el museo, todo cambiaría — "If I guided the group through the museum, everything would change"
  3. Guía a su hijo en sus estudios. — "Guide his son in his studies."
  4. Yo habría guiado el coche por la carretera con más tiempo — "I would have guided the car along the road with more time"

guiar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use guiar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city"
  • Marcos: Él guía al grupo por el museo — "He guides the group through the museum"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo guie a su hijo en sus estudios — "Yesterday, I guided his son in his studies"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú guiarás el coche por la carretera — "Tomorrow, you will guide the car along the road"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Guía a los visitantes hasta la puerta. — "Guide the visitors to the door."
  • Lucía: Él ha guiado a los turistas por la ciudad — "He has guided the tourists around the city"
  • Marcos: Espero que él guíe al grupo por el museo — "I hope he guides the group through the museum"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo guiaba a su hijo en sus estudios — "Before, I used to guide his son in his studies"

Common mistakes with guiar

The errors learners actually make with guiar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Espero que él guía el coche por la carretera

✓ Correct: Espero que él guíe el coche por la carretera

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él guíe el coche por la carretera — not the indicative Espero que él guía el coche por la carretera.

✗ *Ayer, yo guío a los visitantes hasta la puerta

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo guie a los visitantes hasta la puerta

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo guie a los visitantes hasta la puerta.

✗ *De niño, yo guie a los turistas por la ciudad todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo guiaba a los turistas por la ciudad todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo guiaba a los turistas por la ciudad todos los días.

✗ *Yo guío su hijo en sus estudios.

✓ Correct: Yo guío a su hijo en sus estudios.

guiar takes a before this complement: Yo guío a su hijo en sus estudios. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

✗ *Vosotros guiais al grupo por el museo.

✓ Correct: Vosotros guiáis al grupo por el museo.

The vosotros present form carries a written accent: guiáis, not guiais.

Quiz: guiar in use

Ten questions on guiar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city" (present) A. guiamos B. guío C. guías D. guía

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al grupo por el museo — "Yesterday, I guided the group through the museum" (preterite) A. guiamos B. guie C. guiaste D. guio

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a su hijo en sus estudios — "Before, we used to guide his son in his studies" (imperfect) A. guiabais B. guiábamos C. guiaba D. guiabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el coche por la carretera — "Tomorrow, you will guide the car along the road" (future) A. guiaré B. guiará C. guiaremos D. guiarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a los visitantes hasta la puerta — "I would guide the visitors to the door" (conditional) A. guiaríamos B. guiaríais C. guiaría D. guiarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a los turistas por la ciudad — "He has guided the tourists around the city" (present perfect) A. he guiado B. has guiado C. hemos guiado D. ha guiado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ al grupo por el museo — "I hope he guides the group through the museum" (present subjunctive) A. guíes B. guiemos C. guiéis D. guíe

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a su hijo en sus estudios. — "Guide his son in his studies." (affirmative imperative) A. guiad B. guía C. guíe D. guiemos

  9. Which is the gerund of guiar, used with estar for the progressive? A. guío B. guie C. guiando D. guiado

  10. What does guiar mean in English? A. to guide B. to drive, to lead C. to enjoy D. to cross

Answer key

  1. guío — The present form for yo is guío.
  2. guie — The preterite form for yo is guie.
  3. guiábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is guiábamos.
  4. guiarás — The future form for tú is guiarás.
  5. guiaría — The conditional form for yo is guiaría.
  6. ha guiado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha guiado.
  7. guíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is guíe.
  8. guía — The affirmative imperative form is guía.
  9. guiando — The gerund of guiar is guiando: estoy guiando. The participle guiado is used with haber instead.
  10. to guide — guiar means to guide.

Frequently asked questions

What does guiar mean in English?

guiar means to guide. For example: Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with guiar?

guiar takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with guiar.

Is guiar regular?

Yes. guiar is a regular -ar verb, so once you know the endings for its class you can conjugate it in every tense.

How do I practise guiar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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