Legislar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

legislar means “to legislate” 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. Legislar means to legislate, to make laws, and it is used for parliaments, governments and councils creating or changing the law. It is a formal, fully regular verb that belongs to politics and news, not to everyday conversation. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 legislar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the legislar present tense page.

legislar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.”
  2. Él legisla en materia de vivienda. — “He legislates on housing.”
  3. Nosotros legislamos con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “We legislate with the support of all the parties.”
  4. Ellos legislan para proteger a los trabajadores. — “They legislate to protect workers.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo legislé en materia de vivienda. — “Yesterday, I legislated on housing.”
  2. Antes, nosotros legislábamos con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “Before, we used to legislate with the support of all the parties.”
  3. Él legisló para proteger a los trabajadores. — “He legislated to protect workers.”
  4. Yo ya había legislado sobre el medio ambiente este año antes de salir. — “I had already legislated on the environment this year before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú legislarás sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “Tomorrow, you will legislate on the environment this year.”
  2. Yo legislaría en materia de vivienda si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would legislate on housing if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha legislado con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “He has legislated with the support of all the parties.”
  4. Espero que él legisle para proteger a los trabajadores. — “I hope he legislates to protect workers.”

legislar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use legislar 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 their day.

  • Ana: Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.”
  • Bea: Él legisla en materia de vivienda. — “He legislates on housing.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo legislé en materia de vivienda. — “Yesterday, I legislated on housing.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú legislarás sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “Tomorrow, you will legislate on the environment this year.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros legislamos con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “We legislate with the support of all the parties.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros legislábamos con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “Before, we used to legislate with the support of all the parties.”
  • Luis: Yo legislaría en materia de vivienda si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would legislate on housing if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él legisle para proteger a los trabajadores. — “I hope he legislates to protect workers.”

A short scene with legislar

A short scene shows how legislar works across the day. In the morning: Legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. In the afternoon: Legisla en materia de vivienda. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, legislé con el apoyo de todos los partidos. And tomorrow: Mañana, legislaré para proteger a los trabajadores. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how legislar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with legislar

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

✗ Yo legisla sobre el medio ambiente este año.

✓ Correct: Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año.

The person matters: legisla is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is legislo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo legislo en materia de vivienda.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo legislé en materia de vivienda.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: legislo is happening now, while legislé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating legislar and gobernar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Legislar means to legislate, while gobernar means to govern.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: legislar fits sentences such as Legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año, while gobernar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy legislado en materia de vivienda.

✓ Correct: Yo he legislado en materia de vivienda.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he legislado, has legislado, ha legislado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo legislé con el apoyo de todos los partidos todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo legislaba con el apoyo de todos los partidos todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (legislaba), not the preterite. The preterite (legislé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: legislar in use

Ten questions on legislar — 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: Él ______ en materia de vivienda. — “He/she legislates on housing.”

  • a) legisla
  • b) legislo
  • c) legislas
  • d) legislamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “Yesterday, I legislated with the support of all the parties.”

  • a) legislaste
  • b) legisló
  • c) legislaron
  • d) legislé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ para proteger a los trabajadores cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to legislate to protect workers when they were young.”

  • a) legislabas
  • b) legislábamos
  • c) legislaban
  • d) legislaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “Tomorrow, we will legislate on the environment this year.”

  • a) legislarán
  • b) legislaremos
  • c) legislaré
  • d) legislarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ en materia de vivienda si pudiera. — “He would legislate on housing if he could.”

  • a) legislaría
  • b) legislarías
  • c) legislaríamos
  • d) legislo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “I have legislated with the support of all the parties.”

  • a) has legislado
  • b) ha legislado
  • c) han legislado
  • d) he legislado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ para proteger a los trabajadores. — “I hope you legislate to protect workers.”

  • a) legislemos
  • b) legislo
  • c) legisles
  • d) legisle

8. Which is the past participle of legislar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) legislé
  • b) legislado
  • c) legislando
  • d) legislo

9. What does legislar mean in English?

  • a) to legislate
  • b) to govern
  • c) to dismiss from office
  • d) to sanction

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él legisla en materia de vivienda.
  • b) Él legislo en materia de vivienda.
  • c) Nosotros legisla con el apoyo de todos los partidos.
  • d) Yo legisla sobre el medio ambiente este año.

Answer key

  1. a) legisla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: legisla.

  2. d) legislé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: legislé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) legislaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: legislaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) legislaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: legislaremos.

  5. a) legislaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: legislaría.

  6. d) he legislado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he legislado, haber + legislado.

  7. c) legisles — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is legisles.

  8. b) legislado — The past participle is legislado: he legislado, has legislado, ha legislado. The gerund legislando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to legislate — legislar means to legislate. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él legisla en materia de vivienda. — Él legisla en materia de vivienda. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use legislar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año and Legisla en materia de vivienda. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between legislar and gobernar?

Legislar means “to legislate”, while gobernar means “to govern”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use legislar when you mean “to legislate” and gobernar when you mean “to govern”.

Which tense do I need most with legislar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use legislar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is legislar formal or informal?

Legislar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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