guiar

Guiar is a verb in Spanish and Portuguese that means to guide, lead, or steer. It is used for both physical direction—such as guiding a person along a path or steering a vehicle—and figurative guidance, including directing a project, mentoring someone, or shaping a process. The related noun forms guí a / guía (Spanish) or guia (Portuguese) denote a guide or person who leads.

Etymology and cognates: Guiar comes from a common Romance root related to guiding and guidance. Because of shared roots, the verb appears in both languages with closely related meaning and usage, though each language has its own lexical and syntactic conventions.

Usage notes: In Spanish, gui ar a alguien (to guide someone) and guiar un camino (to guide a path) are common constructions. Reflexive usage such as guiarse can mean to follow a method, to rely on guidelines, or to steer oneself in a direction. In Portuguese, guiar is used similarly: guiar alguém, guiar o caminho, with reflexive gui ar-se conveying self-guidance or adherence to a method. Both languages also use figurative senses, for example guiding a committee, a plan, or a strategy.

Conjugation and grammar: Guiar is a regular -ar verb in both languages, so its conjugation follows standard patterns for -ar verbs in present and past tenses. This regularity makes it straightforward for learners who are familiar with other -ar verbs.

See also: The concept of guidance and related terms such as conductor, líder, and direção. Note that GUI, the acronym for graphical user interface, is a different term and not a translation of gui ar.