Regir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb regir means to govern, to rule, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, regir 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 rijo el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand". 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.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: regir
  • English: to govern, to rule
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: rigiendo
  • Past participle: regido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + regido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rijo | | tú | riges | | él/ella/Ud. | rige | | nosotros/as | regimos | | vosotros/as | regís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rigen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | regí | | tú | registe | | él/ella/Ud. | rigió | | nosotros/as | regimos | | vosotros/as | registeis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rigieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | regía | | tú | regías | | él/ella/Ud. | regía | | nosotros/as | regíamos | | vosotros/as | regíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | regían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | regiré | | tú | regirás | | él/ella/Ud. | regirá | | nosotros/as | regiremos | | vosotros/as | regiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | regirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | regiría | | tú | regirías | | él/ella/Ud. | regiría | | nosotros/as | regiríamos | | vosotros/as | regiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | regirían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rija | | tú | rijas | | él/ella/Ud. | rija | | nosotros/as | rijamos | | vosotros/as | rigáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rijan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | rigiera | | tú | rigieras | | él/ella/Ud. | rigiera | | nosotros/as | rigiéramos | | vosotros/as | rigierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rigieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | rige | | él/ella/Ud. | rija | | nosotros/as | rijamos | | vosotros/as | regid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rijan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | rijas | | él/ella/Ud. | rija | | nosotros/as | rijamos | | vosotros/as | rigáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | rijan |

Gerund and past participle

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

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For regir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo rijo el país con mano firme — "I govern the country with a firm hand".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: rigió, rigieron. The gerund changes too: rigiendo. For regir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo regí la empresa desde Madrid — "Yesterday, I governed the company from Madrid".

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 regir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo regía las normas del concurso — "As a child, I used to govern the rules of the contest".

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 regir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo regiré el destino de la nación — "Tomorrow, I will govern the nation's destiny".

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 regir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo regiría el país con mano firme si pudiera — "I would govern the country with a firm hand 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 regir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he regido la empresa desde Madrid — "Today, I have governed the company from Madrid".

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 regir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había regido las normas del concurso antes de salir — "I already had governed the rules of the contest 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 regir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré regido el destino de la nación — "By tomorrow, I will have governed the nation's destiny".

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 regir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría regido el país con mano firme con más tiempo — "I would have governed the country with a firm hand with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For regir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él rija la empresa desde Madrid — "I hope he governs the company from Madrid".

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 irregular — see the table above. For regir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo rigiera las normas del concurso, todo cambiaría — "If I governed the rules of the contest, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For regir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Rige el destino de la nación. — "Govern the nation's destiny.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For regir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No rijas el país con mano firme. — "Do not govern the country with a firm hand.".

Example sentences

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

  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. Ayer, yo regí las normas del concurso — "Yesterday, I governed the rules of the contest"
  4. Antes, nosotros regíamos el destino de la nación — "Before, we used to govern the nation's destiny"
  5. Mañana, tú regirás la vida de sus súbditos — "Tomorrow, you will govern his subjects' lives"
  6. Yo regiría el país con mano firme si tuviera más tiempo — "I would govern the country with a firm hand if I had more time"
  7. Él ha regido la empresa desde Madrid — "He has governed the company from Madrid"
  8. Espero que él rija las normas del concurso — "I hope he governs the rules of the contest"
  9. Yo ya había regido el destino de la nación antes de salir — "I already had governed the nation's destiny before leaving"
  10. Ellos regían la vida de sus súbditos cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to govern his subjects' lives when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo rego la empresa desde Madrid. — Right: Yo rijo la empresa desde Madrid. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él rige la empresa desde Madrid — Right: Espero que él rija la empresa desde Madrid — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él rija la empresa desde Madrid — not the indicative Espero que él rige la empresa desde Madrid.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo rijo las normas del concurso — Right: Ayer, yo regí las normas del concurso — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo regí las normas del concurso.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo regí el destino de la nación todos los días — Right: De niño, yo regía el destino de la nación todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo regía el destino de la nación todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo rijo en el país con mano firme. — Right: Yo rijo el país con mano firme. — regir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo rijo el país con mano firme.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  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: Él ______ la empresa desde Madrid — "He governed the company from Madrid" (preterite) A. regí B. registe C. regimos D. rigió

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el destino de la nación — "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: Espero que él ______ el país con mano firme — "I hope he governs the country with a firm hand" (present subjunctive) A. rijamos B. rigáis C. rija D. rijas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la empresa desde Madrid, todo cambiaría — "If I governed the company from Madrid, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. rigieras B. rigiéramos C. rigierais D. rigiera

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ las normas del concurso — "We have governed the rules of the contest" (present perfect) A. has regido B. ha regido C. hemos regido D. he regido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el destino de la nación. — "Do not govern the nation's destiny." (negative imperative) A. rijas B. rija C. rijamos D. rigáis

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

Answer key

  1. rijo — The present form for yo is rijo.
  2. rigió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is rigió.
  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. rija — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is rija.
  7. rigiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is rigiera.
  8. hemos regido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos regido.
  9. rijas — The negative imperative form is rijas.
  10. rigiendo — The gerund of regir is rigiendo: estoy rigiendo. The participle regido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does regir mean in English?

regir means to govern, to rule. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of regir?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo regí la empresa desde Madrid — "Yesterday, I governed the company from Madrid". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo regía las normas del concurso — "As a child, I used to govern the rules of the contest". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he regido la empresa desde Madrid — "Today, I have governed the company from Madrid".

What is the difference between regir and gobernar?

Gobernar is the everyday verb for governing a country or region. Regir is more formal and literary, and also has the grammatical sense. 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.

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