Rugir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb rugir means to roar, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Rugir means to roar, and it is used for lions, the sea, the wind and an angry crowd: rugir el león, rugir el mar. It is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo rujo and the subjunctive ruja. Like every Spanish verb, rugir 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 rujo en la selva por la noche, and in the preterite you say rugí el mar en la tormenta. 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: rugir
- English: to roar
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: rugiendo
- Past participle: rugido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + rugido)
- Pattern to learn: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for rugir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Rugir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so yo rujo and the subjunctive ruja.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for rugir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rujo |
| tú | ruges |
| él/ella/Ud. | ruge |
| nosotros/as | rugimos |
| vosotros/as | rugís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rugí |
| tú | rugiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | rugió |
| nosotros/as | rugimos |
| vosotros/as | rugisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rugía |
| tú | rugías |
| él/ella/Ud. | rugía |
| nosotros/as | rugíamos |
| vosotros/as | rugíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rugiré |
| tú | rugirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | rugirá |
| nosotros/as | rugiremos |
| vosotros/as | rugiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rugiría |
| tú | rugirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | rugiría |
| nosotros/as | rugiríamos |
| vosotros/as | rugiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he rugido |
| tú | has rugido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha rugido |
| nosotros/as | hemos rugido |
| vosotros/as | habéis rugido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han rugido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había rugido |
| tú | habías rugido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había rugido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos rugido |
| vosotros/as | habíais rugido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían rugido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré rugido |
| tú | habrás rugido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá rugido |
| nosotros/as | habremos rugido |
| vosotros/as | habréis rugido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán rugido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría rugido |
| tú | habrías rugido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría rugido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos rugido |
| vosotros/as | habríais rugido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían rugido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ruja |
| tú | rujas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ruja |
| nosotros/as | rujamos |
| vosotros/as | rugáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rujan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rugiera |
| tú | rugieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | rugiera |
| nosotros/as | rugiéramos |
| vosotros/as | rugierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rugieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ruge |
| él/ella/Ud. | ruja |
| nosotros/as | rujamos |
| vosotros/as | rugid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rujan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | rujas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ruja |
| nosotros/as | rujamos |
| vosotros/as | rugáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rujan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | rugiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy rugiendo |
| Past participle | rugido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he rugido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the pattern here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. For rugir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Rujo en la selva por la noche. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. For rugir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, rugí como un león en el zoo. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, rugía el mar en la tormenta. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, rugiré el estadio con el gol. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Rugiría en la selva por la noche si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he rugido como un león en el zoo. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había rugido el mar en la tormenta antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré rugido el estadio con el gol. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 rugir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría rugido en la selva por la noche con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. For rugir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él ruja como un león en el zoo. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For rugir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él rugiera el mar en la tormenta, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. For rugir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Ruge el estadio con el gol! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change here: this verb is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. For rugir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No rujas en la selva por la noche. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with rugir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Rujo en la selva por la noche. — I roar in the jungle at night.
- Ruge como un león en el zoo. — He/she roars like a lion in the zoo.
- Ayer, rugí el mar en la tormenta. — Yesterday, I roared the sea in the storm.
- Antes, nosotros rugíamos el estadio con el gol. — Before, we used to roar the stadium with the goal.
- Mañana, tú rugirás en la selva por la noche. — Tomorrow, you will roar in the jungle at night.
- Yo rugiría como un león en el zoo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would roar like a lion in the zoo if I had more time.
- Él ha rugido el mar en la tormenta. — He has roared the sea in the storm.
- Espero que él ruja el estadio con el gol. — I hope he roars the stadium with the goal.
- Yo ya había rugido en la selva por la noche antes de salir. — I had already roared in the jungle at night before leaving.
- Ellos rugían como un león en el zoo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to roar like a lion in the zoo when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo ruge en la selva por la noche. — Right: Yo rujo en la selva por la noche. — The person matters: ruge is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is rujo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo rugo como un león en el zoo. — Right: Yo rujo como un león en el zoo. — Rugir is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. The form rujo follows that pattern, not the plain stem plus -o.
- Wrong: Treating rugir and gritar as identical in every context. — Right: Rugir means to roar, while gritar means to shout. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: rugir fits sentences such as Rujo en la selva por la noche, while gritar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy rugido como un león en el zoo. — Right: Yo he rugido como un león en el zoo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he rugido, has rugido, ha rugido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo rugí el mar en la tormenta todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo rugía el mar en la tormenta todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (rugía), not the preterite. The preterite (rugí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on rugir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la selva por la noche. (present tense) A. rujo B. ruges C. ruge D. rugimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ como un león en el zoo. (preterite) A. rugí B. rugiste C. rugimos D. rugió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el mar en la tormenta. (imperfect) A. rugías B. rujo C. rugíamos D. rugía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el estadio con el gol. (future) A. rugiremos B. rugirás C. rugiré D. rugirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en la selva por la noche si pudiera. (conditional) A. rugiría B. rugirías C. rugiríamos D. rujo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ como un león en el zoo. (present subjunctive) A. rujas B. rujamos C. rujo D. ruja
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el mar en la tormenta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. rugiéramos B. rujo C. rugiera D. rugieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el estadio con el gol. (present perfect) A. ha rugido B. hemos rugido C. he rugido D. has rugido
Complete the command: ¡___ en la selva por la noche! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. ruge B. ruja C. rujamos D. rugid
Which is the gerund of rugir, used with estar for the progressive? A. rugido B. rujo C. rugí D. rugiendo
Answer key
- rujo — The yo present tense of rugir is rujo.
- rugió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of rugir is rugió.
- rugíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of rugir is rugíamos.
- rugirás — The tú future of rugir is rugirás.
- rugiría — The yo conditional of rugir is rugiría.
- ruja — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of rugir is ruja.
- rugiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of rugir is rugiera.
- hemos rugido — The nosotros/as present perfect of rugir is hemos rugido.
- ruge — The affirmative tú imperative of rugir is ruge.
- rugiendo — The gerund of rugir is rugiendo: estoy rugiendo. The participle rugido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does rugir mean in English?
Rugir means to roar. It is used in everyday situations such as Rujo en la selva por la noche. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is rugir regular or irregular?
Rugir is a spelling-change verb: it is a -gir verb: g becomes j before o and a, so the present first person is rujo and the present subjunctive is ruja. The endings are regular, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page, including rujo in the present and rugí in the preterite.
What is the difference between rugir and gritar?
Rugir means to roar, while gritar means to shout. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use rugir when you mean to roar, as in Rujo en la selva por la noche, and use gritar for to shout. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I roar” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo rugí como un león en el zoo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo rugía el mar en la tormenta. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he rugido como un león en el zoo.
How do I practise rugir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the rugir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Rugir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for rugir.
- Rugir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for rugir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Restituir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with rugir.
- Sufrir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with rugir.
- Redimir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with rugir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.