Regularizar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
regularizar means "to regularise" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see regularizar with his situation in the country, the company's papers, the car's registration and the payment of the taxes — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo regularizo su situación en el país. — "Every day, I regularise his situation in the country." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
regularizar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with regularizar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo regularizo su situación en el país. — "Every day, I regularise his situation in the country." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo regularicé los papeles de la empresa. — "Yesterday, I regularised the company's papers." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo regularizaba la matrícula del coche. — "In the past, I used to regularise the car's registration." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros regularizaremos el pago de los impuestos. — "Tomorrow, we will regularise the payment of the taxes." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú regularizarías su situación en el país. — "If you could, you would regularise his situation in the country." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he regularizado los papeles de la empresa. — "I have regularised the company's papers." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él regulariza la matrícula del coche. — "Normally, he/she regularises the car's registration." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él regularizó el pago de los impuestos. — "Yesterday, he/she regularised the payment of the taxes." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros regularizábamos su situación en el país. — "In the past, we used to regularise his situation in the country." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo regularizaré los papeles de la empresa. — "Tomorrow, I will regularise the company's papers." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él regularice la matrícula del coche. — "I hope that he/she regularises the car's registration." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Regulariza el pago de los impuestos! — "Regularise the payment of the taxes!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using regularizar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his situation in the country, the company's papers, the car's registration and the payment of the taxes.
Dialogue 1: talking about his situation in the country
Sofía: ¿Tú regularizas su situación en el país? — "Do you regularise his situation in the country?" Diego: Sí, yo regularizo su situación en el país. — "I regularise his situation in the country." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo regularicé los papeles de la empresa. — "Yesterday, I regularised the company's papers." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros regularizaremos la matrícula del coche. — "Tomorrow, we will regularise the car's registration." Diego: Si pudiera, yo regularizaría el pago de los impuestos. — "If I could, I would regularise the payment of the taxes." Sofía: Antes, yo regularizaba los papeles de la empresa. — "In the past, I used to regularise the company's papers." Diego: Yo he regularizado su situación en el país. — "I have regularised his situation in the country." Sofía: ¡Regulariza la matrícula del coche! — "Regularise the car's registration!"
In this dialogue regularizar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the car's registration
Sofía: Él regulariza la matrícula del coche. — "he/she regularises the car's registration." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él regulariza la matrícula del coche todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she regularises the car's registration every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos regularizan el pago de los impuestos. — "they regularise the payment of the taxes." Diego: Ayer, ellos regularizaron la matrícula del coche. — "Yesterday, they regularised the car's registration." Sofía: Espero que él regularice el pago de los impuestos. — "I hope that he/she regularises the payment of the taxes." Diego: Mañana, él regularizará la matrícula del coche. — "Tomorrow, he/she will regularise the car's registration." Sofía: Antes, nosotros regularizábamos el pago de los impuestos. — "In the past, we used to regularise the payment of the taxes." Diego: Nosotros regularizamos su situación en el país también. — "we regularise his situation in the country too."
This dialogue shows regularizar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with regularizar
The errors learners actually make with regularizar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me regularizo su situación en el país.
- Right: Yo regularizo su situación en el país.
- Why: regularizar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo regularizo su situación en el país. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo regularizar su situación en el país.
- Right: Yo regularizo su situación en el país.
- Why: The infinitive regularizar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form regularizo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo regularizo los papeles de la empresa.
- Right: Ayer, yo regularicé los papeles de la empresa.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo regularicé los papeles de la empresa. — "Yesterday, I regularised the company's papers."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy regularizado la matrícula del coche.
- Right: Estoy regularizando la matrícula del coche.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund regularizando for the progressive. The participle regularizado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he regularizado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros regulariza su situación en el país.
- Right: Nosotros regularizamos su situación en el país.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes regularizamos, while regulariza belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: regularizar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on regularizar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of regularizar in the present tense?
- (a) regularizo
- (b) regularizas
- (c) regulariza
- (d) regularizamos
Answer: (a) regularizo. The yo form is regularizo.
2. What is the tú form of regularizar in the present tense?
- (a) regularizo
- (b) regulariza
- (c) regularizamos
- (d) regularizas
Answer: (d) regularizas. The tú form is regularizas.
3. What is the él/ella form of regularizar in the present tense?
- (a) regularizas
- (b) regularizamos
- (c) regulariza
- (d) regularizo
Answer: (c) regulariza. The él/ella form is regulariza.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ su situación en el país.
- (a) regularizamos
- (b) regularizo
- (c) regularizas
- (d) regulariza
Answer: (b) regularizo. The sentence needs the yo form regularizo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ los papeles de la empresa.
- (a) regularicé
- (b) regularizaste
- (c) regularizó
- (d) regularizamos
Answer: (a) regularicé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is regularicé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la matrícula del coche.
- (a) regularizabas
- (b) regularizábamos
- (c) regularizabais
- (d) regularizaba
Answer: (d) regularizaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is regularizaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el pago de los impuestos.
- (a) regularizará
- (b) regularizaremos
- (c) regularizaré
- (d) regularizarás
Answer: (c) regularizaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is regularizaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ su situación en el país.
- (a) ha regularizado
- (b) hemos regularizado
- (c) he regularizado
- (d) has regularizado
Answer: (c) he regularizado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he regularizado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la matrícula del coche.
- (a) regularice
- (b) regularices
- (c) regularicemos
- (d) regularicéis
Answer: (a) regularice. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is regularice.
10. What does regularizar mean in English?
- (a) to regularise
- (b) to slap
- (c) to button
- (d) to burn, to scorch
Answer: (a) to regularise. regularizar means "to regularise" in English.
Frequently asked questions about regularizar
What does regularizar mean?
regularizar means "to regularise" in English. Use it when you talk about his situation in the country, the company's papers, the car's registration and the payment of the taxes — for example: Cada día, yo regularizo su situación en el país. — "Every day, I regularise his situation in the country."
Is there a reflexive form of regularizar?
No. regularizar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo regularizo su situación en el país. — "Every day, I regularise his situation in the country."
What is the most common mistake with regularizar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the z becomes c before e, so the yo preterite is regularicé and the subjunctive forms start with c, for example regularice. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise regularizar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.