dirigir Present Conjugation
dirigir — to direct
Dirigir is irregular only in the 'yo' form (dirijo), while all other forms are regular.
dirigir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present to talk about your current job role, someone who is currently directing a play, or where you are heading right now.
Notes on dirigir in the Present
The 'yo' form changes 'g' to 'j' (dirijo) to keep the harsh 'h' sound. All other forms (diriges, dirige, etc.) keep the 'g'.
Example Sentences
Yo dirijo el departamento de ventas.
I manage the sales department.
yo
¿Quién dirige esta orquesta?
Who is directing this orchestra?
él/ella/usted
Nosotros dirigimos nuestros esfuerzos al cliente.
We direct our efforts toward the client.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'dirigo' for the yo form.
Correct: dirijo
Why: In Spanish, 'go' is pronounced like 'go' in 'gold'. To keep the 'h' sound of 'dirigir', you must change the 'g' to a 'j' before an 'o'.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: dirigí
The preterite of dirigir is regular: dirigí, dirigiste, dirigió, dirigimos, dirigisteis, dirigieron.
Imperfect
yo: dirigía
The imperfect of dirigir is regular: dirigía, dirigías, dirigía, dirigíamos, dirigíais, dirigían.
Future
yo: dirigiré
The future tense of dirigir is regular: dirigiré, dirigirás, dirigirá, dirigiremos, dirigiréis, dirigirán.
Conditional
yo: dirigiría
The conditional of dirigir is regular: dirigiría, dirigirías, dirigiría, dirigiríamos, dirigiríais, dirigirían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: dirija
The present subjunctive of dirigir uses a 'j' in all forms: dirija, dirijas, dirija, dirijamos, dirijáis, dirijan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: dirigiera
The imperfect subjunctive of dirigir is regular: dirigiera, dirigieras, dirigiera, dirigiéramos, dirigierais, dirigieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: dirige
The imperative uses 'dirige' (tú) and 'dirigid' (vosotros), but switches to 'j' for formal commands (dirija/dirijan).
Negative Imperative
yo: no dirijas
The negative imperative always uses the 'j' spelling: no dirijas, no dirija, no dirijamos, no dirijáis, no dirijan.