Legislar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of legislar — “to legislate” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for legislar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of legislar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: legislar
Every person of legislar in the present tense. The gerund is legislando and the past participle is legislado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | legislo |
| tú | legislas |
| él/ella/Ud. | legisla |
| nosotros/as | legislamos |
| vosotros/as | legisláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | legislan |
How the present indicative of legislar is formed
The present indicative of legislar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | legislo |
| tú | -as | legislas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | legisla |
| nosotros/as | -amos | legislamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | legisláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | legislan |
Legislar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is legisl- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of legislar is legislando and the past participle is legislado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of legislar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and legislar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and legislar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año todos los días.” — “I legislate on the environment this year every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él legisla en materia de vivienda.” — “He/she legislates on housing.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so legislo can mean both “I legislate” and “I am legislateing”.
“Ahora mismo, yo legislo con el apoyo de todos los partidos.” — “Right now, I legislate with the support of all the parties.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo legislo para proteger a los trabajadores.” — “Tomorrow, I will legislate to protect workers.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú legislas sobre el medio ambiente este año?” — “Do you legislate on the environment this year?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Legisla en materia de vivienda. — “He/she legislates on housing.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Legisló en materia de vivienda. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Legislan con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “They legislate with the support of all the parties.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Legislaban con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Legislas para proteger a los trabajadores. — “You legislate to protect workers.”
- Future — what will happen: Legislarás para proteger a los trabajadores. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: legislar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show legislar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.”
- Tú legislas en materia de vivienda. — “You legislate on housing.”
- Él legisla con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “He legislates with the support of all the parties.”
- Nosotros legislamos para proteger a los trabajadores. — “We legislate to protect workers.”
- Vosotros legisláis sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “You (plural) legislate on the environment this year.”
- Ellos legislan en materia de vivienda. — “They legislate on housing.”
- ¿Tú legislas con el apoyo de todos los partidos? — “Do you legislate with the support of all the parties?”
Common mistakes with legislar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with legislar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo legislar sobre el medio ambiente este año. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of legislar is legislo, not the infinitive legislar.
✗ Vosotros legislais sobre el medio ambiente este año. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros legisláis sobre el medio ambiente este año.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: legisláis, not legislais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo legislo en materia de vivienda. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing legislar with gobernar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: legislar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of legislar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of legislar for tú?
- a) legislas
- b) legislo
- c) legisla
- d) legislan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.”
- a) legisla
- b) legislamos
- c) legislas
- d) legislo
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ en materia de vivienda. — “He/she legislates on housing.” (present tense)
- a) legislaba
- b) legislará
- c) legisla
- d) legisló
4. Which is the correct present tense form of legislar for nosotros?
- a) legislan
- b) legislamos
- c) legislo
- d) legisla
5. Which sentence uses legislar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él legisló en materia de vivienda.
- b) Él legisla en materia de vivienda.
- c) Él legislará en materia de vivienda.
- d) Ellos legisla en materia de vivienda.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ con el apoyo de todos los partidos. — “They legislate with the support of all the parties.”
- a) legislo
- b) legisla
- c) legislamos
- d) legislan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ para proteger a los trabajadores? — “Do you legislate to protect workers?”
- a) legisla
- b) legislarás
- c) legislas
- d) legislo
8. What is the gerund of legislar?
- a) legislé
- b) legislando
- c) legislado
- d) legislo
Answer key
a) legislas — The tú form is legislas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; legislo is yo, legisla is él/ella and legislan is ellos/ellas.
d) legislo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: legislo. The other options are the wrong person.
c) legisla — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: legisla. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) legislamos — Nosotros takes legislamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) Él legisla en materia de vivienda. — Él legisla en materia de vivienda. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) legislan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is legislan.
c) legislas — The question needs the tú form in the present: legislas.
b) legislando — The gerund is legislando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle legislado.
Frequently asked questions
Is legislar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Legislar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: legislo, legislas, legisla, legislamos, legisláis and legislan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of legislar?
The gerund is legislando and the past participle is legislado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I legislate” in Spanish?
Say legislo. For example: Legislo sobre el medio ambiente este año. — “I legislate on the environment this year.”
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”. The full conjugation of legislar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of legislar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- legislar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Pausar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with legislar.
- Escanear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with legislar.
- Sancionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with legislar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.