Introduction
Incurrir means “to incur”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Incurrir means to incur, and it is the formal verb for falling into a cost, an error or a penalty: incurrir en gastos, incurrir en un error. It takes en. It is a regular -ir verb, common in law, finance and formal writing. This page shows incurrir in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Incurro en gastos grandes.” — I incur big expenses.
Incurrir in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how incurrir is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use incurrir in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Incurro en gastos grandes.” — I incur big expenses.
“¿Incurres en un error grave?” — Do you incur a serious mistake?
“Incurre en una multa por aparcar.” — He/she incurs a parking fine.
“Nosotros incurrimos en costes de reparación.” — We incur repair costs.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show incurrir in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo incurrí en gastos grandes.” — Yesterday, I incurred big expenses. (preterite)
“Antes, él incurría en un error grave.” — Before, he used to incur a serious mistake. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of incurrir stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros incurriremos en una multa por aparcar.” — Tomorrow, we will incur a parking fine. (future)
“¿Tú has incurrido en costes de reparación?” — Have you incurred repair costs? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros incurrís en gastos grandes.” — You incur big expenses.
“Ellos incurren en un error grave.” — They incur a serious mistake.
“Yo incurro en una multa por aparcar.” — I incur a parking fine.
“Mi padre incurre en costes de reparación.” — My father incurs repair costs.
Incurrir in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how incurrir appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú incurres en un error grave?” — Do you incur a serious mistake?
Pedro: “Sí, yo incurro en gastos grandes.” — Yes, I incur big expenses.
Marta: “Nosotros incurrimos en costes de reparación.” — We incur repair costs.
Pedro: “Y ellos incurren en un error grave.” — And they incur a serious mistake.
Marta: “Vosotros incurrís en una multa por aparcar.” — You incur a parking fine.
Pedro: “Sí, y él incurre en gastos grandes.” — Yes, and he incurs big expenses.
A short paragraph
Incurre en gastos grandes, y nosotros incurrimos en costes de reparación. Yo incurro en un error grave, y ellos incurren en una multa por aparcar. Incurrir is part of everyday life, because incur is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with incurrir
These are the errors learners actually make with incurrir. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo incurre en gastos grandes.” Right: “Yo incurro en gastos grandes.” Why: The person matters: incurre is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is incurro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo incurro en un error grave.” Right: “Ayer yo incurrí en un error grave.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: incurro is happening now, while incurrí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating incurrir and cometer as identical in every context.” Right: “Incurrir means to incur, while cometer means to commit.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: incurrir fits sentences such as Incurro en gastos grandes, while cometer belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy incurrido en un error grave.” Right: “Yo he incurrido en un error grave.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he incurrido, has incurrido, ha incurrido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo incurrí en una multa por aparcar todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo incurría en una multa por aparcar todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (incurría), not the preterite. The preterite (incurrí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: incurrir in use
Ten questions on incurrir in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ en gastos grandes.” (You incur big expenses.)
- (a) incurrís
- (b) incurro
- (c) incurres
Answer: incurrís — The vosotros/as form of incurrir in the present tense is incurrís.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en un error grave.” (They incur a serious mistake.)
- (a) incurres
- (b) incurren
- (c) incurro
Answer: incurren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of incurrir in the present tense is incurren.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ en gastos grandes.” (Yesterday I incurred big expenses.)
- (a) incurriste
- (b) incurrió
- (c) incurrí
Answer: incurrí — In the preterite, the yo form of incurrir is incurrí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ en un error grave.” (Before, he used to incur a serious mistake.)
- (a) incurría
- (b) incurro
- (c) incurrías
Answer: incurría — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of incurrir is incurría.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ en una multa por aparcar.” (Tomorrow we will incur a parking fine.)
- (a) incurrirás
- (b) incurriremos
- (c) incurriré
Answer: incurriremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of incurrir is incurriremos.
6. What does incurrir mean in English?
- (a) to incur
- (b) to print
- (c) to commit
Answer: to incur — Incurrir means “to incur”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo incurre en gastos grandes.
- (b) Ellos incurre en un error grave.
- (c) Yo incurro en gastos grandes.
Answer: Yo incurro en gastos grandes. — “Yo incurro en gastos grandes.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I incur big expenses.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre incurre en costes de reparación.
- (b) Incurro en gastos grandes.
- (c) Incurren en gastos grandes.
Answer: Incurro en gastos grandes. — “Incurro en gastos grandes.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of incurrir in the present tense?
- (a) incurro
- (b) incurres
- (c) incurrimos
Answer: incurrimos — The nosotros form is incurrimos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros incurriremos en una multa por aparcar.
- (b) Incurro en gastos grandes.
- (c) Ayer, yo incurrí en gastos grandes.
Answer: Incurro en gastos grandes. — “Incurro en gastos grandes.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I incur big expenses' in Spanish?
Say 'Incurro en gastos grandes'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Incurro en gastos grandes todos los días'.
How do you say 'He incurs a serious mistake' in Spanish?
Say 'Él incurre en un error grave'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes incurre.
What is the difference between incurrir and cometer?
Incurrir means to incur, while cometer means to commit. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use incurrir when you mean to incur, as in 'Incurro en gastos grandes', and use cometer for to commit.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of incurrir — every tense of incurrir in one place.
- Incurrir in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on incurrir and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of incurrir until they are automatic.