gobiernan

Gobiernan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb gobernar, meaning they govern or you all govern (in standard Spanish, ustedes gobiernan). It is used to indicate that a group holds authority over a political entity, institution, or organization in the present. The form appears in sentences such as “Las autoridades gobiernan la ciudad” or “Los países gobiernan sus propias políticas.”

Etymology and morphology: Gobernar comes from Latin gubernare, via Old Spanish, and is related to governance-related terms such as gobierno (government), gobernador (governor), and gobernante (ruler). In the present indicative, gobernar exhibits a stem change: the root vowels change from e to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. Consequently, the present tense forms include gobierno, gobiernas, gobierna, gobernamos, gobernáis, and gobiernan.

Usage notes: Gobiernan is commonly employed in political, administrative, and organizational contexts to describe how leaders or authorities exercise power or administer matters. In many Spanish-speaking regions, usted(es) and ustedes govern likewise align with the plural third-person form gobiernan when referring to groups. Related expressions include la gobernanza (governance) and la gobernabilidad (governability).

See also: gobernar; gobierno; gobernador; gobernante; gobernanza.