regular
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “regular” mean in English?
1.regular — occurring at fixed intervals or following a consistent pattern
regular — occurring at fixed intervals or following a consistent pattern (seguimiento regular, controles regulares)
2.regular, periodic — occurring at uniform intervals; also colloquial: so-so/mediocre
regular, periodic — occurring at uniform intervals; also colloquial: so-so/mediocre (predicative use in response to ¿cómo estás?)
Example sentences
El organismo regulador tiene la potestad de regular las tarifas de las empresas de telecomunicaciones.
The regulatory body has the power to regulate the tariffs of telecommunications companies.
La normativa europea regula el uso de datos personales con criterios estrictos de privacidad.
European regulation governs the use of personal data with strict privacy criteria.
How to use it
Regular means 'to regulate' or 'to control'. Structure: regular + noun. Key in legal, economic, and administrative registers. Collocations: regular el mercado, regular las tarifas, regular el acceso. The adjective regular (mediocre/regular) is unrelated — context distinguishes them.
Common mistake
Verb regular (to regulate) vs. adjective regular (average/mediocre). They are homographs — only context distinguishes. In policy and legal texts, regular is always the verb.