dirigir Preterite Conjugation
dirigir — to direct
The preterite of dirigir is regular: dirigí, dirigiste, dirigió, dirigimos, dirigisteis, dirigieron.
dirigir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you managed a project, directed a film, or headed a specific meeting that has already finished.
Notes on dirigir in the Preterite
Dirigir is fully regular in the preterite. Unlike the present tense, the 'g' remains a 'g' throughout because it is followed by 'i' or 'ie'.
Example Sentences
Ella dirigió la reunión de ayer con mucho éxito.
She led yesterday's meeting very successfully.
él/ella/usted
Dirigí mi primera película el año pasado.
I directed my first movie last year.
yo
Ellos dirigieron el tráfico después del accidente.
They directed traffic after the accident.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'dirijió' with a 'j'.
Correct: dirigió
Why: The spelling change to 'j' only happens before 'a' or 'o'. Since 'ió' starts with an 'i', the 'g' stays.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: dirijo
Dirigir is irregular only in the 'yo' form (dirijo), while all other forms are regular.
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.