Introduction
Presidir means “to preside over”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Presidir means to preside over or to chair, and it is used for meetings, ceremonies and organisations: presidir la reunión, presidir el jurado. It is a formal, regular -ir verb. This page shows presidir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Presido la reunión del lunes.” — I preside Monday's meeting.
Presidir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how presidir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use presidir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Presido la reunión del lunes.” — I preside Monday's meeting.
“¿Presides el jurado del concurso?” — Do you preside the competition jury?
“Preside la ceremonia de entrega.” — He/she presides the awards ceremony.
“Nosotros presidimos la mesa de debate.” — We preside the debate table.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show presidir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo presidí la reunión del lunes.” — Yesterday, I presided Monday's meeting. (preterite)
“Antes, él presidía el jurado del concurso.” — Before, he used to preside the competition jury. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of presidir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros presidiremos la ceremonia de entrega.” — Tomorrow, we will preside the awards ceremony. (future)
“¿Tú has presidido la mesa de debate?” — Have you presided the debate table? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros presidís la reunión del lunes.” — You preside Monday's meeting.
“Ellos presiden el jurado del concurso.” — They preside the competition jury.
“Yo presido la ceremonia de entrega.” — I preside the awards ceremony.
“Mi padre preside la mesa de debate.” — My father presides the debate table.
Presidir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how presidir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú presides el jurado del concurso?” — Do you preside the competition jury?
Pedro: “Sí, yo presido la reunión del lunes.” — Yes, I preside Monday's meeting.
Marta: “Nosotros presidimos la mesa de debate.” — We preside the debate table.
Pedro: “Y ellos presiden el jurado del concurso.” — And they preside the competition jury.
Marta: “Vosotros presidís la ceremonia de entrega.” — You preside the awards ceremony.
Pedro: “Sí, y él preside la reunión del lunes.” — Yes, and he presides Monday's meeting.
A short paragraph
Preside la reunión del lunes, y nosotros presidimos la mesa de debate. Yo presido el jurado del concurso, y ellos presiden la ceremonia de entrega. Presidir is part of everyday life, because preside over is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with presidir
These are the errors learners actually make with presidir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo preside la reunión del lunes.” Right: “Yo presido la reunión del lunes.” Why: The person matters: preside is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is presido. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo presido el jurado del concurso.” Right: “Ayer yo presidí el jurado del concurso.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: presido is happening now, while presidí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating presidir and dirigir as identical in every context.” Right: “Presidir means to preside over, while dirigir means to direct, to lead.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: presidir fits sentences such as Presido la reunión del lunes, while dirigir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy presidido el jurado del concurso.” Right: “Yo he presidido el jurado del concurso.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he presidido, has presidido, ha presidido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo presidí la ceremonia de entrega todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo presidía la ceremonia de entrega todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (presidía), not the preterite. The preterite (presidí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: presidir in use
Ten questions on presidir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la reunión del lunes.” (You preside Monday's meeting.)
- (a) presidís
- (b) presido
- (c) presides
Answer: presidís — The vosotros/as form of presidir in the present tense is presidís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el jurado del concurso.” (They preside the competition jury.)
- (a) presides
- (b) presiden
- (c) presido
Answer: presiden — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of presidir in the present tense is presiden.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la reunión del lunes.” (Yesterday I presided Monday's meeting.)
- (a) presidiste
- (b) presidió
- (c) presidí
Answer: presidí — In the preterite, the yo form of presidir is presidí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ el jurado del concurso.” (Before, he used to preside the competition jury.)
- (a) presidía
- (b) presido
- (c) presidías
Answer: presidía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of presidir is presidía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ la ceremonia de entrega.” (Tomorrow we will preside the awards ceremony.)
- (a) presidirás
- (b) presidiremos
- (c) presidiré
Answer: presidiremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of presidir is presidiremos.
6. What does presidir mean in English?
- (a) to preside over
- (b) to continue
- (c) to direct, to lead
Answer: to preside over — Presidir means “to preside over”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo preside la reunión del lunes.
- (b) Ellos preside el jurado del concurso.
- (c) Yo presido la reunión del lunes.
Answer: Yo presido la reunión del lunes. — “Yo presido la reunión del lunes.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I preside Monday's meeting.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre preside la mesa de debate.
- (b) Presido la reunión del lunes.
- (c) Presiden la reunión del lunes.
Answer: Presido la reunión del lunes. — “Presido la reunión del lunes.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of presidir in the present tense?
- (a) presido
- (b) presides
- (c) presidimos
Answer: presidimos — The nosotros form is presidimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros presidiremos la ceremonia de entrega.
- (b) Presido la reunión del lunes.
- (c) Ayer, yo presidí la reunión del lunes.
Answer: Presido la reunión del lunes. — “Presido la reunión del lunes.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I preside Monday's meeting' in Spanish?
Say 'Presido la reunión del lunes'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Presido la reunión del lunes todos los días'.
How do you say 'He presides the competition jury' in Spanish?
Say 'Él preside el jurado del concurso'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes preside.
What is the difference between presidir and dirigir?
Presidir means to preside over, while dirigir means to direct, to lead. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use presidir when you mean to preside over, as in 'Presido la reunión del lunes', and use dirigir for to direct, to lead.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of presidir — every tense of presidir in one place.
- Presidir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on presidir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of presidir until they are automatic.