Introduction

regular means “to regulate”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to regulate” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows regular 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 form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo regulo la temperatura por la mañana.” — “I regulate the temperature.”

regular in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how regular 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 {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo regulo la temperatura cada día.” — “I regulate the temperature.”
  2. “Tú regulas la temperatura cada día.” — “you regulate the temperature.”
  3. “Él regula la temperatura siempre.” — “He regulates the temperature.”
  4. “Nosotros regulamos la temperatura todos los días.” — “We regulate the temperature.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo regulé la temperatura ayer.” — “I regulated the temperature.” (preterite) 6. “Él reguló la temperatura ayer.” — “He regulated the temperature.” (preterite) 7. “Yo regulaba la temperatura cuando era joven.” — “I used to regulate the temperature.” (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 {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros regularemos la temperatura mañana.” — “We will regulate the temperature.” (future) 9. “Tú has regulado la temperatura hoy.” — “you have regulated the temperature.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo regule la temperatura.” — “I hope that I regulate the temperature.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros reguláis la temperatura cada semana.” — “You regulate the temperature.” 12. “Ellos regulan la temperatura normalmente.” — “They regulate the temperature.”

regular 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 regular appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at work during a coffee break

Marta: “¿Tú regulas la temperatura?” — Do you regulate the temperature?

Carlos: “Sí, yo regulo la temperatura cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I regulate the temperature every day. It is part of my routine.

Marta: “¿Y ayer? ¿También regulas la temperatura?” — And yesterday? Did you regulate the temperature too?

Carlos: “Sí, ayer yo regulé la temperatura. Mañana nosotros regularemos la temperatura otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I regulated the temperature. Tomorrow we will regulate the temperature again.

A short paragraph

Él regula la temperatura cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how regular works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo regulo la temperatura — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make regular yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is regulé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — regule — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of regular.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For regular, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: regulamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he regulado la temperatura. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy regulado is not the present perfect of regular — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing regular with reganar

regular and reganar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of regular — regulate — the sentence needs regular; if it needs the meaning of reganar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo regule la temperatura. Using the indicative — Espero que yo regulo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with regular. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of regular in the present?

  • A. regulas
  • B. regula
  • C. regulamos
  • D. regulo

2. What is the tu form of regular in the preterite?

  • A. regulamos
  • B. regulaste
  • C. regulé
  • D. reguló

3. What is the el form of regular in the imperfect?

  • A. regulabas
  • B. regulábamos
  • C. regulabais
  • D. regulaba

4. What is the nosotros form of regular in the future?

  • A. regulará
  • B. regularemos
  • C. regularé
  • D. regularás

5. What is the vosotros form of regular in the present perfect?

  • A. he regulado
  • B. has regulado
  • C. ha regulado
  • D. habéis regulado

6. What is the ellos form of regular in the present subjunctive?

  • A. regule
  • B. regulen
  • C. regule
  • D. regules

7. What is the yo form of regular in the preterite?

  • A. regulaste
  • B. reguló
  • C. regulamos
  • D. regulé

8. What is the tu form of regular in the imperfect?

  • A. regulábamos
  • B. regulabas
  • C. regulaba
  • D. regulaba

9. What is the el form of regular in the future?

  • A. regularé
  • B. regularás
  • C. regularemos
  • D. regulará

10. What is the nosotros form of regular in the conditional?

  • A. regularía
  • B. regularíamos
  • C. regularía
  • D. regularías

Answer key

  1. regulo — The present table gives yo = regulo.
  2. regulaste — The preterite table gives tu = regulaste.
  3. regulaba — The imperfect table gives el = regulaba.
  4. regularemos — The future table gives nosotros = regularemos.
  5. habéis regulado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis regulado.
  6. regulen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = regulen.
  7. regulé — The preterite table gives yo = regulé.
  8. regulabas — The imperfect table gives tu = regulabas.
  9. regulará — The future table gives el = regulará.
  10. regularíamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = regularíamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use regular in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo regulo la temperatura.” — “I regulate the temperature.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of regular to learn first?

Learn the present yo form regulo first, then the preterite yo form regulé and the participle regulado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund regulando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is regular reflexive?

No — regular is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo regulo la temperatura. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of regular?

On the main conjugation page for regular, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links