Regir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

regir means "to govern, to rule" 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. Regir means to govern or rule a country, a company or a set of rules. It is a formal verb, and in grammar it also means for a verb to govern a preposition: regir una preposición. 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 regir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the regir present tense page.

regir 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 rijo el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand"
  2. Mi amigo rige la empresa desde Madrid — "My friend governs the company from Madrid"
  3. Mañana, tú regirás las normas del concurso — "Tomorrow, you will govern the rules of the contest"
  4. Yo regiría el destino de la nación si pudiera — "I would govern the nation's destiny 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 regí el país con mano firme — "Yesterday, I governed the country with a firm hand"
  2. Antes, nosotros regíamos la empresa desde Madrid — "Before, we used to govern the company from Madrid"
  3. Él ha regido las normas del concurso — "He has governed the rules of the contest"
  4. Yo ya había regido el destino de la nación antes de salir — "I already had governed the nation's destiny 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 rija el país con mano firme — "I hope he governs the country with a firm hand"
  2. Si yo rigiera la empresa desde Madrid, todo cambiaría — "If I governed the company from Madrid, everything would change"
  3. Rige las normas del concurso. — "Govern the rules of the contest."
  4. Yo habría regido el destino de la nación con más tiempo — "I would have governed the nation's destiny with more time"

regir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use regir 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 rijo el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand"
  • Marcos: Él rige la empresa desde Madrid — "He governs the company from Madrid"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo regí las normas del concurso — "Yesterday, I governed the rules of the contest"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú regirás el destino de la nación — "Tomorrow, you will govern the nation's destiny"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Rige la vida de sus súbditos. — "Govern his subjects' lives."
  • Lucía: Él ha regido el país con mano firme — "He has governed the country with a firm hand"
  • Marcos: Espero que él rija la empresa desde Madrid — "I hope he governs the company from Madrid"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo regía las normas del concurso — "Before, I used to govern the rules of the contest"

Common mistakes with regir

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

✗ *Yo rego el destino de la nación.

✓ Correct: Yo rijo el destino de la nación.

regir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is rijo, not rego.

✗ *Espero que él rige el destino de la nación

✓ Correct: Espero que él rija el destino de la nación

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él rija el destino de la nación — not the indicative Espero que él rige el destino de la nación.

✗ *Ayer, yo rijo la vida de sus súbditos

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo regí la vida de sus súbditos

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo regí la vida de sus súbditos.

✗ *De niño, yo regí el país con mano firme todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo regía el país con mano firme todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo regía el país con mano firme todos los días.

✗ *Yo rijo en las normas del concurso.

✓ Correct: Yo rijo las normas del concurso.

regir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo rijo las normas del concurso.

Quiz: regir in use

Ten questions on regir — 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 ______ el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand" (present) A. rige B. regimos C. rijo D. riges

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ la empresa desde Madrid — "Yesterday, I governed the company from Madrid" (preterite) A. regimos B. regí C. registe D. rigió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ las normas del concurso — "Before, we used to govern the rules of the contest" (imperfect) A. regíamos B. regía C. regías D. regíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ el destino de la nación — "Tomorrow, you will govern the nation's destiny" (future) A. regirás B. regiré C. regirá D. regiremos

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la vida de sus súbditos — "I would govern his subjects' lives" (conditional) A. regirías B. regiríamos C. regiríais D. regiría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el país con mano firme — "He has governed the country with a firm hand" (present perfect) A. he regido B. has regido C. hemos regido D. ha regido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la empresa desde Madrid — "I hope he governs the company from Madrid" (present subjunctive) A. rija B. rijas C. rijamos D. rigáis

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ las normas del concurso. — "Govern the rules of the contest." (affirmative imperative) A. rige B. rija C. rijamos D. regid

  9. Which is the gerund of regir, used with estar for the progressive? A. regí B. rigiendo C. regido D. rijo

  10. What does regir mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to draw D. to govern

Answer key

  1. rijo — The present form for yo is rijo.
  2. regí — The preterite form for yo is regí.
  3. regíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is regíamos.
  4. regirás — The future form for tú is regirás.
  5. regiría — The conditional form for yo is regiría.
  6. ha regido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha regido.
  7. rija — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is rija.
  8. rige — The affirmative imperative form is rige.
  9. rigiendo — The gerund of regir is rigiendo: estoy rigiendo. The participle regido is used with haber instead.
  10. to govern — regir means to govern.

Frequently asked questions

What does regir mean in English?

regir means to govern, to rule. For example: Yo rijo el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with regir?

regir takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is regir regular?

No. regir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: rijo, riges, rige and rigen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: regimos, regís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: rigió, rigieron, and the gerund is rigiendo.

How do I practise regir?

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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