Errar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

errar means to err, to miss, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo erro todos los días» — I err every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use errar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Errar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where errar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo erro todos los días. — I err every day.
  2. Tú erras en el trabajo. — You err at work.
  3. Él erra con mi familia. — He errs with my family.
  4. Nosotros erramos por la mañana. — We err in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo erré por la tarde. — Yesterday I erred in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo erraba todos los días. — In the past, I used to err every day.
  3. La semana pasada él erró dos veces. — Last week He erred twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo erraré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will err without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo erraría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would err right now.
  3. Hoy yo he errado dos veces. — Today I have erred twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú erres pronto. — I hope You err soon.
  2. ¡erra, por favor! — Err, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy errando. — Right now I am erring.

Errar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo erro en el trabajo.» — I err at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo erro con mi familia.» — I err with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo erraré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will err without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo erraría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would err right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he errado dos veces.» — Today I have erred twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo erré por la tarde. Antes, yo erraba todos los días. Hoy yo he errado dos veces. Mañana yo erraré sin falta.

Yesterday I erred in the afternoon. In the past, I used to err every day. Today I have erred twice. Tomorrow I will err without fail.

Common mistakes with errar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo erraba.

Right: Ayer yo erré.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, erré. The imperfect erraba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú erras.

Right: Espero que tú erres.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: erres, not the indicative erras. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No erra.

Right: No erres.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no erres. The affirmative erra can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo errar todos los días.

Right: Yo erro todos los días.

The infinitive errar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo erro.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He errando.

Right: He errado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he errado. The gerund errando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy errando»), never with haber.

Quiz: errar in use

Test yourself on errar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of errar in the present indicative?

- (a) erra
- (b) erráis
- (c) erro
- (d) erras

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of errar in the preterite?

- (a) erró
- (b) erré
- (c) erraron
- (d) erraste

3. What is the yo form of errar in the future?

- (a) errará
- (b) erraré
- (c) erraremos
- (d) errarás

4. What is the tú form of errar in the present perfect?

- (a) hemos errado
- (b) has errado
- (c) he errado
- (d) ha errado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of errar in the imperfect?

- (a) errabas
- (b) errabais
- (c) erraba
- (d) erraba

6. What is the gerund of errar?

- (a) errar
- (b) erro
- (c) errando
- (d) errado

7. What is the past participle of errar?

- (a) errado
- (b) errar
- (c) erré
- (d) errando

8. Which sentence uses errar correctly?

- (a) *Yo errar todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo erras todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo erra todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo erro todos los días.* — I err every day.

9. Which sentence uses errar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo erro por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo errar por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo erraba por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo erré por la tarde.* — Yesterday I erred in the afternoon.

10. What does errar mean?

- (a) to envy
- (b) to escape
- (c) to balance
- (d) to err, to miss

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of errar is erráis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of errar is erraron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the future, the yo form of errar is erraré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (b) — In the present perfect, the tú form of errar is has errado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of errar is errabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — The gerund of errar is errando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy errando». 7. (a) — The past participle of errar is errado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he errado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of errar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of errar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (d) — errar means «to err, to miss».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I err' in Spanish?

Say «Yo erro todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I erred' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo erré por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is errar reflexive?

No — errar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo erro, tú erras, él erra. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with errar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (erré) for a single finished event and the imperfect (erraba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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