Introduction

regular means “to regulate” in English, and it is a verb you will meet again and again once you start reading and speaking Spanish. It is used whenever you need to talk about the temperature — at home, at work, and in everyday conversation — which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of regular in every tense and mood, with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. regular is a regular -ar verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: “Yo regulo la temperatura todos los días.” — “I regulate the temperature.” Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts
Infinitive regular
English to regulate
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund regulando
Past participle regulado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: regulando · Past participle: regulado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo regulo
tú regulas
él/ella/Ud. regula
nosotros/as regulamos
vosotros/as reguláis
ellos/ellas/Uds. regulan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For regular, the yo form is regulo, as in “Yo regulo la temperatura.” — “I regulate the temperature.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo regulé
tú regulaste
él/ella/Ud. reguló
nosotros/as regulamos
vosotros/as regulasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. regularon

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For regular, the yo form is regulé, as in “Yo regulé la temperatura.” — “I regulated the temperature.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo regulaba
tú regulabas
él/ella/Ud. regulaba
nosotros/as regulábamos
vosotros/as regulabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. regulaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For regular, the yo form is regulaba, as in “Yo regulaba la temperatura.” — “I used to regulate the temperature.”

Future

Person Form
yo regularé
tú regularás
él/ella/Ud. regulará
nosotros/as regularemos
vosotros/as regularéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. regularán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For regular, the yo form is regularé, as in “Yo regularé la temperatura.” — “I will regulate the temperature.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo regularía
tú regularías
él/ella/Ud. regularía
nosotros/as regularíamos
vosotros/as regularíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. regularían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For regular, the yo form is regularía, as in “Yo regularía la temperatura.” — “I would regulate the temperature.”

Present Perfect

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

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For regular, the yo form is he regulado, as in “Yo he regulado la temperatura.” — “I have regulated the temperature.”

Pluperfect

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

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For regular, the yo form is había regulado, as in “Yo había regulado la temperatura.” — “I had regulated the temperature.”

Future Perfect

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

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For regular, the yo form is habré regulado, as in “Yo habré regulado la temperatura.” — “I will have regulated the temperature.”

Conditional Perfect

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

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For regular, the yo form is habría regulado, as in “Yo habría regulado la temperatura.” — “I would have regulated the temperature.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo regule
tú regules
él/ella/Ud. regule
nosotros/as regulemos
vosotros/as reguléis
ellos/ellas/Uds. regulen

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For regular, the yo form is regule, as in “Espero que yo regule la temperatura.” — “I hope that I regulate the temperature.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo regulara
tú regularas
él/ella/Ud. regulara
nosotros/as reguláramos
vosotros/as regularais
ellos/ellas/Uds. regularan

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For regular, the yo form is regulara, as in “Si yo regulara la temperatura, ...” — “If I regulated the temperature, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: regulara becomes regulase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú regula
Ud. regule
nosotros/as regulemos
vosotros/as regulad
Uds. regulen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú regules
Ud. regule
nosotros/as regulemos
vosotros/as reguléis
Uds. regulen

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is regula, as in “¡Regula la temperatura” — “Regulate the temperature” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no regules. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with regular.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with regular, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo regulo la temperatura cada día.” — “I regulate the temperature.”
  2. “Él regula la temperatura todos los días.” — “He regulates the temperature.”
  3. “Yo regulé la temperatura ayer.” — “I regulated the temperature.”
  4. “Él reguló la temperatura ayer.” — “He regulated the temperature.”
  5. “Yo regulaba la temperatura cuando era joven.” — “I used to regulate the temperature.”
  6. “Nosotros regularemos la temperatura mañana.” — “We will regulate the temperature.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo regularía la temperatura.” — “If I could, i would regulate the temperature.”
  8. “Yo he regulado la temperatura hoy.” — “I have regulated the temperature.”
  9. “Espero que yo regule la temperatura.” — “I hope that I regulate the temperature.”
  10. “estoy regulando la temperatura ahora mismo.” — “I am regulating the temperature.”

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

Is regular regular or irregular?

regular is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of regular?

The past participle of regular is regulado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he regulado, había regulado, habré regulado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund regulando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of regular?

The gerund of regular is regulando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy regulando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle regulado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of regular in the present?

The yo form is regulo — “Yo regulo la temperatura.” means “I regulate the temperature.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú regulas, él regula, nosotros regulamos, ellos regulan.

What is the difference between regular and reganar?

regular means “to regulate”, while reganar means “to scold”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to regulate”, use regular; if it is about the meaning of reganar, use reganar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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