régir

Régir is a French verb that means to govern, regulate, or direct the functioning of a system, institution, law, or set of rules. It conveys the idea of establishing principles or constraints that determine how something operates and how people or processes should behave within a given framework. The use is often formal or technical, especially in legal, political, or administrative contexts.

Etymology and usage context: Régir derives from Latin regere, meaning to guide or rule, passing into Old French and then modern French. In contemporary writing, régir is preferred in formal discourse when describing how rules or laws shape relationships, actions, or outcomes. In everyday speech, more common verbs such as gérer, gouverner, or réglementer may be used depending on nuance.

Conjugation and forms: Régir is a semi-regular -ir verb with some irregularities in the present tense. The present indicative forms are je régis, tu régis, il régit, nous régissons, vous régissez, ils régissent. The past participle is régit, and the present participle is régissant. The verb also has a passé simple and a imperfect form for literary or historical writing, as well as the present subjunctive: que je régisse, que tu régisses, qu’il régisse, que nous régissions, que vous régissiez, qu’ils régissent.

Typical uses: Common constructions include régir les lois, régir les relations entre États, or régir les conditions d’accès. Régir is often contrasted with more common verbs like gérer (to manage) when focusing on internal administration, or réglementer (to regulate) when emphasizing rules and constraints.