Incurrir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of incurrir — “to incur” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for incurrir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Incurro en gastos grandes. — “I incur big expenses.”
Present tense conjugation table: incurrir
Every person of incurrir in the present tense. The gerund is incurriendo and the past participle is incurrido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | incurro |
| tú | incurres |
| él/ella/Ud. | incurre |
| nosotros/as | incurrimos |
| vosotros/as | incurrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | incurren |
The gerund is incurriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy incurriendo” means the action of incurrir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is incurrido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he incurrido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how incurrir is used.
How the present of incurrir is formed
The present of incurrir is built from the stem incurr plus the present endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | incurro |
| tú | -es | incurres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | incurre |
| nosotros/as | -imos | incurrimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | incurrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | incurren |
incurrir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is incurr and the endings are the normal -ir endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of incurrir is incurriendo and the past participle is incurrido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of incurrir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use incurrir in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of incurrir is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and incurrir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Incurro en gastos grandes.” — I incur big expenses.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what incurrir means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Incurre en un error grave.” — He/she incurs a serious mistake.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Incurro en una multa por aparcar.” — I incur a parking fine.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and incurrir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros incurrimos en costes de reparación.” — Tomorrow, we incur repair costs.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Incurres en un error grave?” — Do you incur a serious mistake?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Incurro en gastos grandes.” — I incur big expenses.
Preterite: “Incurrí en gastos grandes.” — I incurred big expenses.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Incurre en un error grave.” — He/she incurs a serious mistake.
Preterite: “Incurrió en un error grave.” — He/she incurred a serious mistake.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Incurrimos en una multa por aparcar.” — We incur a parking fine.
Preterite: “Incurrimos en una multa por aparcar.” — We incurred a parking fine.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: incurrir in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Incurro en gastos grandes.” — I incur big expenses.
“Incurres en un error grave.” — You incur a serious mistake.
“Incurre en una multa por aparcar.” — He/she incurs a parking fine.
“Incurrimos en costes de reparación.” — We incur repair costs.
“Incurrís en gastos grandes.” — You incur big expenses.
“Incurren en un error grave.” — They incur a serious mistake.
“Incurro en una multa por aparcar.” — I incur a parking fine.
“Incurre en costes de reparación.” — He/she incurs repair costs.
Common mistakes with incurrir in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: Yo needs the yo form incurro. The form incurre belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo incurrir en un error grave.” Right: “Yo incurro en un error grave.” Why: The infinitive incurrir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving incurro.
Wrong: “Ayer yo incurro en un error grave.” Right: “Ayer yo incurrí en un error grave.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to incurrí.
Wrong: “Ellos incurre en un error grave.” Right: “Ellos incurren en un error grave.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form incurren. The singular incurre belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: incurrir in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ en gastos grandes.”
- (a) incurro
- (b) incurres
- (c) incurre
Answer: incurro — The yo form of incurrir in the present is incurro.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ en un error grave.”
- (a) incurro
- (b) incurre
- (c) incurres
Answer: incurres — The tú form of incurrir in the present is incurres.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ en una multa por aparcar.”
- (a) incurres
- (b) incurre
- (c) incurro
Answer: incurre — The él/ella form of incurrir in the present is incurre.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ en costes de reparación.”
- (a) incurrimos
- (b) incurro
- (c) incurres
Answer: incurrimos — The nosotros/as form of incurrir in the present is incurrimos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ en gastos grandes.”
- (a) incurro
- (b) incurres
- (c) incurrís
Answer: incurrís — The vosotros/as form of incurrir in the present is incurrís.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ en un error grave.”
- (a) incurres
- (b) incurren
- (c) incurro
Answer: incurren — The ellos/ellas form of incurrir in the present is incurren.
7. What does incurrir mean in English?
- (a) to incur
- (b) to commit
- (c) to be about
Answer: to incur — Incurrir means to incur.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Incurrí en gastos grandes.
- (b) Incurriré en gastos grandes.
- (c) Incurro en gastos grandes.
Answer: Incurro en gastos grandes. — “Incurro en gastos grandes.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is incurrir regular in the present?
Yes. Incurrir is regular in the present: incurro, incurres, incurre, incurrimos, incurrís and incurren. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of incurrir?
The gerund is incurriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy incurriendo. The past participle is incurrido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he incurrido.
What should I watch out for with incurrir?
Incurrir takes en: incurro en gastos. It is fully regular: incurrí, incurría, incurriré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is incurro, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise incurrir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the incurrir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of incurrir — every tense of incurrir in one place.
- Incurrir examples and quiz — more sentences with incurrir and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on incurrir and other verbs.