# How do I prove that a language is regular? [duplicate]

In order to prove that the following language is regular, would I use a pumping lemma?

The set $A$ of all strings that are substrings of some string in $L$, where $L \subseteq\Sigma^*$. $L$ Must be regular.

• Good. Now do a similar modification to the title, otherwise one of our moderators will likely suggest that it be sharpened. Consider, for example, "If $L$ is regular, is the language of all substrings of $L$ regular?" – Rick Decker Dec 1 '16 at 2:19
• @NoahSM1993 is it some string, or any string? – André Souza Lemos Dec 1 '16 at 2:21
• Welcome to Computer Science! The title you have chosen is not well suited to representing your question. Please take some time to improve it; we have collected some advice here. Thank you! – Raphael Dec 1 '16 at 5:47
• The pumping lemma is only a necessary condition for regularity, thus it can only be used to show that some language is not regular. – Jan Johannsen Dec 1 '16 at 14:12

Here's a hint. Since $L$ is regular, there is a finite automaton $M$ that accepts all and only those strings in $L$. Suppose you only wanted those substrings that start with the same character as a string in $L$. Could you somehow modify $M$ (perhaps by making some states final) so that it would accept all substrings starting with the same character as a string accepted by $L$?
Having done that, could extend this (perhaps with $\epsilon$-moves) so that you could jump from the start state of $M$ to a string along an accepting path in $M$?