Errar in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of errar — «to err, to miss» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. errar is a regular -ar verb verb, so the present follows the -ar endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo erro todos los días» — I err every day.

Errar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo erro
tú erras
él/ella/Ud. erra
nosotros/as erramos
vosotros/as erráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. erran

Gerund: errando · Past participle: errado

How the present tense of errar is formed

Take the stem err — the infinitive errar without its -ar ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo err -o erro
tú err -as erras
él/ella/Ud. err -a erra
nosotros/as err -amos erramos
vosotros/as err -áis erráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. err -an erran

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know erro, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of errar

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo erro todos los días. — I err every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él erra con mi familia. — He errs with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund errando for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros erramos por la mañana. — We err in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú erras en el trabajo. — You err at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos erran a veces. — They err sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo erro todos los días. — I err every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo erré por la tarde. — Yesterday I erred in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él erra por la mañana. — He errs in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él erró por la tarde. — Yesterday He erred in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros erramos con mi familia. — We err with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros erramos dos veces. — Last week We erred twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: errar in the present

  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.
  5. Vosotros erráis cuando hay tiempo. — You err when there is time.
  6. Ellos erran a veces. — They err sometimes.
  7. Yo erro en el trabajo. — I err at work.
  8. Él erra todos los días. — He errs every day.

Common mistakes with errar in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros errais.

Right: Vosotros erráis.

The vosotros form erráis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo erro.

Right: Ayer yo erré.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present erro talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs erré.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos erro.

Right: Ellos erran.

Each person has its own form: ellos take erran, not the yo form erro. The -n ending on erran is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy erro.

Right: Estoy errando.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy errando. The conjugated present erro never follows estar.

Quiz: errar in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of errar. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

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

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

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

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

3. What is the yo form of errar in the present indicative?

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

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

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

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of errar in the present indicative?

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

6. What is the nosotros/as form of errar in the present indicative?

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

7. What is the gerund of errar?

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

8. What is the past participle of errar?

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

Answer key

1. (a) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of errar is erráis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of errar is erran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the present indicative, the yo form of errar is erro. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of errar is erras. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (d) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of errar is erra. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of errar is erramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (c) — The gerund of errar is errando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy errando». 8. (c) — The past participle of errar is errado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he errado».

Frequently asked questions

Is errar regular in the present?

Yes — errar is regular in the present. The stem err never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of errar in the present?

It is erro. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for errar?

The present (erro) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (erré) reports a single finished event. «Yo erro todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo erré» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of errar with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy errando» means «I am erring right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo erro» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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