Introduction
Correr means «to run». Correr means to run: for exercise, for a bus, in a race. It is a regular -er verb, and it also appears in idioms such as correr prisa (to be in a hurry). Runners, athletes and anyone late for a train will use it daily. It is a regular -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of correr in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo corro cada mañana todos los días.» — I run every morning every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | correr |
| English | to run |
| Verb type | Regular -er verb |
| Gerund | corriendo |
| Past participle | corrido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: corriendo · Past participle: corrido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corro |
| tú | corres |
| él/ella/Ud. | corre |
| nosotros/as | corremos |
| vosotros/as | corréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corren |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For correr, the yo form is corro, as in «Yo corro» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corrí |
| tú | corriste |
| él/ella/Ud. | corrió |
| nosotros/as | corrimos |
| vosotros/as | corristeis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corrieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo corrí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corría |
| tú | corrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | corría |
| nosotros/as | corríamos |
| vosotros/as | corríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corrían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo corría» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | correré |
| tú | correrás |
| él/ella/Ud. | correrá |
| nosotros/as | correremos |
| vosotros/as | correréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | correrán |
The future tense states what will happen. For correr the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo correré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | correría |
| tú | correrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | correría |
| nosotros/as | correríamos |
| vosotros/as | correríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | correrían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo correría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he corrido |
| tú | has corrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha corrido |
| nosotros/as | hemos corrido |
| vosotros/as | habéis corrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han corrido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he corrido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había corrido |
| tú | habías corrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había corrido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos corrido |
| vosotros/as | habíais corrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían corrido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había corrido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré corrido |
| tú | habrás corrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá corrido |
| nosotros/as | habremos corrido |
| vosotros/as | habréis corrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán corrido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré corrido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría corrido |
| tú | habrías corrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría corrido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos corrido |
| vosotros/as | habríais corrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían corrido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría corrido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corra |
| tú | corras |
| él/ella/Ud. | corra |
| nosotros/as | corramos |
| vosotros/as | corráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corran |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él corra». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | corriera |
| tú | corrieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | corriera |
| nosotros/as | corriéramos |
| vosotros/as | corrierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corrieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él corriera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | corre |
| él/ella/Ud. | corra |
| nosotros/as | corramos |
| vosotros/as | corred |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corran |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Corre!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | corras |
| él/ella/Ud. | corra |
| nosotros/as | corramos |
| vosotros/as | corráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | corran |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No corras!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo corro cada mañana todos los días. — I run every morning every day.
- Mi hermana corre cada mañana mucho. — My sister runs every morning a lot.
- Ayer yo corrí cada mañana por la tarde. — Yesterday I ran every morning in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo corría cada mañana muchas veces. — As a child, I used to run every morning often.
- Mañana yo correré cada mañana sin falta. — Tomorrow I will run every morning without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo correría cada mañana ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would run every morning right now.
- Hoy yo he corrido un maratón dos veces. — Today I have run a marathon twice.
- Espero que él corra cada mañana pronto. — I hope he runs every morning soon.
- ¡Corre cinco kilómetros hoy! — Run five kilometres today!
- Ahora mismo estoy corriendo cada mañana. — Right now I am running every morning.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: corri
Right: corrí
The yo preterite of correr carries a written accent: corrí. Without it, corri is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo corría cada mañana.
Right: Ayer yo corrí cada mañana.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, corrí. The imperfect corría describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Corro a un maratón.
Right: Corro un maratón.
Correr takes a direct object with no preposition: correr un maratón, correr cinco kilómetros.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú corres cada mañana.
Right: Espero que tú corras cada mañana.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: corras, not the indicative corres. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No corre cada mañana.
Right: No corras cada mañana.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no corras. The affirmative corre can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of correr in the present tense?
- (a) corre
- (b) corremos
- (c) corres
- (d) corro
2. What is the él/ella form of correr in the preterite?
- (a) corrimos
- (b) corriste
- (c) corrió
- (d) corrí
3. What is the nosotros form of correr in the imperfect?
- (a) corría
- (b) corríamos
- (c) corrías
4. What is the tú form of correr in the future tense?
- (a) correremos
- (b) correrá
- (c) correrás
- (d) correré
5. What is the ellos form of correr in the conditional?
- (a) correría
- (b) correrían
- (c) correrías
6. What is the yo form of correr in the present perfect?
- (a) ha corrido
- (b) has corrido
- (c) he corrido
- (d) hemos corrido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of correr?
- (a) corra
- (b) corramos
- (c) corras
8. What is the nosotros form of correr in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) corriera
- (b) corriéramos
- (c) corrieras
9. What is the gerund of correr?
- (a) correr
- (b) corrido
- (c) corriendo
- (d) corro
10. What is the past participle of correr?
- (a) correr
- (b) corrido
- (c) corriendo
- (d) corrí
Answer key
1. (d) corro — In the present, the yo form of correr is corro. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) corrió — In the preterite, the el form of correr is corrió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) corríamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of correr is corríamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) correrás — In the future, the tu form of correr is correrás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) correrían — In the conditional, the ellos form of correr is correrían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he corrido — In the present perfect, the yo form of correr is he corrido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) corras — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of correr is corras. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) corriéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of correr is corriéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (c) corriendo — The gerund of correr is corriendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy corriendo».
10. (b) corrido — The past participle of correr is corrido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he corrido».
Frequently asked questions
Is correr regular or irregular?
Yes, correr is a regular -er verb. Every tense follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of correr?
The gerund is corriendo and the past participle is corrido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy corriendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he corrido»).
What is the difference between correr and caminar?
Correr and caminar are often confused. Caminar is to walk; correr is to run — speed is the whole difference.
How do I say «I run» in Spanish?
Say «Yo corro». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with correr?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (corrí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (corría) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: correr-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: correr-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: caminar
- Related verb: nadar
- Related verb: jugar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz