Transcurrir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of transcurrir — “to pass (time), to elapse” 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 transcurrir 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. Transcurrir means to pass or to elapse, and it is the formal verb for time passing: transcurrir los años, transcurrir el tiempo. Its subject is usually time itself, and it is a regular -ir verb. To see it in a real sentence: Transcurren los años muy rápido. — “The years pass very quickly.”
Present tense conjugation table: transcurrir
Every person of transcurrir in the present tense. The gerund is transcurriendo and the past participle is transcurrido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurro |
| tú | transcurres |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurre |
| nosotros/as | transcurrimos |
| vosotros/as | transcurrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurren |
The gerund is transcurriendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy transcurriendo” means the action of transcurrir is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is transcurrido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he transcurrido” 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 transcurrir is used.
How the present of transcurrir is formed
The present of transcurrir is built from the stem transcurr 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 | transcurro |
| tú | -es | transcurres |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | transcurre |
| nosotros/as | -imos | transcurrimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | transcurrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | transcurren |
transcurrir is a regular -ir verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is transcurr 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 transcurrir is transcurriendo and the past participle is transcurrido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of transcurrir
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use transcurrir 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 transcurrir 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 transcurrir is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Transcurren los años muy rápido.” — The years pass very quickly.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what transcurrir 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: “Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” — Time passes without us noticing.
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: “Transcurre la tarde en silencio.” — The afternoon passes in silence.
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 transcurrir follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, transcurren los días de vacaciones.” — The holiday days pass.
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: “¿Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta?” — Does time pass without us noticing?
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: “Transcurren los años muy rápido.” — The years pass very quickly.
Preterite: “Transcurrieron los años muy rápido.” — The years passed very quickly.
The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.
Present: “Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” — Time passes without us noticing.
Preterite: “Transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” — Time passed without us noticing.
The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.
Present: “Transcurre la tarde en silencio.” — The afternoon passes in silence.
Preterite: “Transcurrió la tarde en silencio.” — The afternoon passed in silence.
The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: transcurrir 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.
“Transcurren los años muy rápido.” — The years pass very quickly.
“Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” — Time passes without us noticing.
“Transcurre la tarde en silencio.” — The afternoon passes in silence.
“Transcurren los días de vacaciones.” — The holiday days pass.
“Transcurren los años muy rápido.” — The years pass very quickly.
“Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” — Time passes without us noticing.
“Transcurre la tarde en silencio.” — The afternoon passes in silence.
“Transcurren los días de vacaciones.” — The holiday days pass.
Common mistakes with transcurrir 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 transcurro los años muy rápido.” Right: “Transcurren los años muy rápido.” Why: With transcurrir, the thing is the subject, not the person: transcurren is the form that agrees with los años muy rápido. A person cannot be the subject of this verb in this sense.
Wrong: “Yo transcurrir el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Right: “Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Why: The infinitive transcurrir cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with el tiempo sin darnos cuenta, giving transcurre.
Wrong: “Ayer, transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Right: “Ayer, transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to transcurrió.
Wrong: “Transcurren el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Right: “Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject: el tiempo sin darnos cuenta needs transcurre, not transcurren.
Quiz: transcurrir 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: “___ los años muy rápido.”
- (a) transcurren
- (b) transcurro
- (c) transcurres
Answer: transcurren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurren.
2. Complete the sentence: “___ el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.”
- (a) transcurro
- (b) transcurres
- (c) transcurre
Answer: transcurre — The él/ella/Ud. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurre.
3. Complete the sentence: “___ la tarde en silencio.”
- (a) transcurres
- (b) transcurre
- (c) transcurro
Answer: transcurre — The él/ella/Ud. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurre.
4. Complete the sentence: “___ los días de vacaciones.”
- (a) transcurren
- (b) transcurro
- (c) transcurres
Answer: transcurren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurren.
5. Complete the sentence: “___ los años muy rápido.”
- (a) transcurro
- (b) transcurres
- (c) transcurren
Answer: transcurren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurren.
6. Complete the sentence: “___ el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.”
- (a) transcurres
- (b) transcurre
- (c) transcurro
Answer: transcurre — The él/ella/Ud. form of transcurrir in the present is transcurre.
7. What does transcurrir mean in English?
- (a) to pass (time), to elapse
- (b) to pass
- (c) to survive
Answer: to pass (time), to elapse — Transcurrir means to pass (time), to elapse.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Transcurrieron los años muy rápido.
- (b) Transcurrirán los años muy rápido.
- (c) Transcurren los años muy rápido.
Answer: Transcurren los años muy rápido. — “Transcurren los años muy rápido.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is transcurrir regular in the present?
Yes. Transcurrir is regular in the present: transcurro, transcurres, transcurre, transcurrimos, transcurrís and transcurren. 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 transcurrir?
The gerund is transcurriendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy transcurriendo. The past participle is transcurrido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he transcurrido.
What should I watch out for with transcurrir?
Transcurrir is regular: transcurrí, transcurría, transcurriré. Its subject is usually time. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is transcurren, because that form shows the pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise transcurrir in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the transcurrir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of transcurrir — every tense of transcurrir in one place.
- Transcurrir examples and quiz — more sentences with transcurrir 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 transcurrir and other verbs.