Guiar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb guiar means to guide, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, guiar 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 guío a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city". 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: guiar
  • English: to guide
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: guiando
  • Past participle: guiado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + guiado)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guío | | tú | guías | | él/ella/Ud. | guía | | nosotros/as | guiamos | | vosotros/as | guiáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guían |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guie | | tú | guiaste | | él/ella/Ud. | guio | | nosotros/as | guiamos | | vosotros/as | guiasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guiaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guiaba | | tú | guiabas | | él/ella/Ud. | guiaba | | nosotros/as | guiábamos | | vosotros/as | guiabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guiaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guiaré | | tú | guiarás | | él/ella/Ud. | guiará | | nosotros/as | guiaremos | | vosotros/as | guiaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guiarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guiaría | | tú | guiarías | | él/ella/Ud. | guiaría | | nosotros/as | guiaríamos | | vosotros/as | guiaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guiarían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guíe | | tú | guíes | | él/ella/Ud. | guíe | | nosotros/as | guiemos | | vosotros/as | guiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guíen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | guiara | | tú | guiaras | | él/ella/Ud. | guiara | | nosotros/as | guiáramos | | vosotros/as | guiarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guiaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | guía | | él/ella/Ud. | guíe | | nosotros/as | guiemos | | vosotros/as | guiad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guíen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | guíes | | él/ella/Ud. | guíe | | nosotros/as | guiemos | | vosotros/as | guiéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | guíen |

Gerund and past participle

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

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 guiar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad — "I guide the tourists around the city".

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 guiar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo guie al grupo por el museo — "Yesterday, I guided the group through the museum".

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 guiar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo guiaba a su hijo en sus estudios — "As a child, I used to guide his son in his studies".

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 guiar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo guiaré el coche por la carretera — "Tomorrow, I will guide the car along the road".

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 guiar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo guiaría a los turistas por la ciudad si pudiera — "I would guide the tourists around the city 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 guiar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he guiado al grupo por el museo — "Today, I have guided the group through the museum".

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 guiar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había guiado a su hijo en sus estudios antes de salir — "I already had guided his son in his studies 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 guiar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré guiado el coche por la carretera — "By tomorrow, I will have guided the car along the road".

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 guiar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría guiado a los turistas por la ciudad con más tiempo — "I would have guided the tourists around the city with more time".

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 guiar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él guíe al grupo por el museo — "I hope he guides the group through the museum".

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 guiar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo guiara a su hijo en sus estudios, todo cambiaría — "If I guided his son in his studies, everything would change".

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 guiar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Guía el coche por la carretera. — "Guide the car along the road.".

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 guiar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No guíes a los turistas por la ciudad. — "Do not guide the tourists around the city.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo guie a su hijo en sus estudios — "Yesterday, I guided his son in his studies"
  4. Antes, nosotros guiábamos el coche por la carretera — "Before, we used to guide the car along the road"
  5. Mañana, tú guiarás a los visitantes hasta la puerta — "Tomorrow, you will guide the visitors to the door"
  6. Yo guiaría a los turistas por la ciudad si tuviera más tiempo — "I would guide the tourists around the city if I had more time"
  7. Él ha guiado al grupo por el museo — "He has guided the group through the museum"
  8. Espero que él guíe a su hijo en sus estudios — "I hope he guides his son in his studies"
  9. Yo ya había guiado el coche por la carretera antes de salir — "I already had guided the car along the road before leaving"
  10. Ellos guiaban a los visitantes hasta la puerta cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to guide the visitors to the door when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Espero que él guía al grupo por el museo — Right: Espero que él guíe al grupo por el museo — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él guíe al grupo por el museo — not the indicative Espero que él guía al grupo por el museo.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo guío a su hijo en sus estudios — Right: Ayer, yo guie a su hijo en sus estudios — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo guie a su hijo en sus estudios.
  3. Wrong: De niño, yo guie el coche por la carretera todos los días — Right: De niño, yo guiaba el coche por la carretera todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo guiaba el coche por la carretera todos los días.
  4. Wrong: Yo guío los turistas por la ciudad. — Right: Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad. — guiar takes a before this complement: Yo guío a los turistas por la ciudad. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.
  5. Wrong: Vosotros guiais a los visitantes hasta la puerta. — Right: Vosotros guiáis a los visitantes hasta la puerta. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: guiáis, not guiais.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ al grupo por el museo — "He guided the group through the museum" (preterite) A. guie B. guiaste C. guiamos D. guio

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el coche por la carretera — "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: Espero que él ______ a los turistas por la ciudad — "I hope he guides the tourists around the city" (present subjunctive) A. guiéis B. guíe C. guíes D. guiemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ al grupo por el museo, todo cambiaría — "If I guided the group through the museum, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. guiaras B. guiáramos C. guiarais D. guiara

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ a su hijo en sus estudios — "We have guided his son in his studies" (present perfect) A. hemos guiado B. he guiado C. has guiado D. ha guiado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el coche por la carretera. — "Do not guide the car along the road." (negative imperative) A. guíe B. guiemos C. guiéis D. guíes

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

Answer key

  1. guío — The present form for yo is guío.
  2. guio — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is guio.
  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. guíe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is guíe.
  7. guiara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is guiara.
  8. hemos guiado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos guiado.
  9. guíes — The negative imperative form is guíes.
  10. guiando — The gerund of guiar is guiando: estoy guiando. The participle guiado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does guiar mean in English?

guiar means to guide. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The only thing to watch is the written accent on some forms, such as guiáis.

What is the gerund and the past participle of guiar?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo guie al grupo por el museo — "Yesterday, I guided the group through the museum". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo guiaba a su hijo en sus estudios — "As a child, I used to guide his son in his studies". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he guiado al grupo por el museo — "Today, I have guided the group through the museum".

What is the difference between guiar and conducir?

Conducir is to drive a vehicle or to lead an organisation. Guiar is to guide — tourists, a group, a person — showing them the way. 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.

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