Transcurrir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb transcurrir means to pass (time), to elapse, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, transcurrir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Transcurren los años muy rápido, and in the preterite you say Transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: transcurrir
- English: to pass (time), to elapse
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: transcurriendo
- Past participle: transcurrido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + transcurrido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for transcurrir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Transcurrir is regular: transcurrí, transcurría, transcurriré. Its subject is usually time.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for transcurrir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurro |
| tú | transcurres |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurre |
| nosotros/as | transcurrimos |
| vosotros/as | transcurrís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurren |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurrí |
| tú | transcurriste |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurrió |
| nosotros/as | transcurrimos |
| vosotros/as | transcurristeis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurrieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurría |
| tú | transcurrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurría |
| nosotros/as | transcurríamos |
| vosotros/as | transcurríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurrían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurriré |
| tú | transcurrirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurrirá |
| nosotros/as | transcurriremos |
| vosotros/as | transcurriréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurrirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurriría |
| tú | transcurrirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurriría |
| nosotros/as | transcurriríamos |
| vosotros/as | transcurriríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurrirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he transcurrido |
| tú | has transcurrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha transcurrido |
| nosotros/as | hemos transcurrido |
| vosotros/as | habéis transcurrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han transcurrido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había transcurrido |
| tú | habías transcurrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había transcurrido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos transcurrido |
| vosotros/as | habíais transcurrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían transcurrido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré transcurrido |
| tú | habrás transcurrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá transcurrido |
| nosotros/as | habremos transcurrido |
| vosotros/as | habréis transcurrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán transcurrido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría transcurrido |
| tú | habrías transcurrido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría transcurrido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos transcurrido |
| vosotros/as | habríais transcurrido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían transcurrido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurra |
| tú | transcurras |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurra |
| nosotros/as | transcurramos |
| vosotros/as | transcurráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurran |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | transcurriera |
| tú | transcurrieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurriera |
| nosotros/as | transcurriéramos |
| vosotros/as | transcurrierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurrieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | transcurre |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurra |
| nosotros/as | transcurramos |
| vosotros/as | transcurrid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurran |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | transcurras |
| él/ella/Ud. | transcurra |
| nosotros/as | transcurramos |
| vosotros/as | transcurráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | transcurran |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | transcurriendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy transcurriendo |
| Past participle | transcurrido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he transcurrido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Transcurren los años muy rápido. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Antes, transcurría la tarde en silencio. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, transcurrirán los días de vacaciones. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Si lloviera, transcurrirían los años muy rápido. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, ha transcurrido el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Ya había transcurrido la tarde en silencio. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habrán transcurrido los días de vacaciones. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habrían transcurrido los años muy rápido. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que transcurra el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si transcurriera la tarde en silencio, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que transcurran los días de vacaciones. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For transcurrir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No transcurran los años muy rápido. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with transcurrir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Transcurren los años muy rápido. — The years pass very quickly.
- Transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — Time passes without us noticing.
- Ayer, transcurrió la tarde en silencio. — The afternoon passed in silence.
- Antes, transcurrían los días de vacaciones. — The holiday days used to pass.
- Mañana, transcurrirán los años muy rápido. — The years will pass very quickly.
- Si lloviera, transcurriría el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — If it rained, time would pass without us noticing.
- Ya ha transcurrido la tarde en silencio. — The afternoon has passed in silence.
- Espero que transcurran los días de vacaciones. — I hope the holiday days pass.
- Ya habían transcurrido los años muy rápido antes de salir. — The years had passed very quickly.
- Transcurría el tiempo sin darnos cuenta todos los días. — Time used to pass without us noticing.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo transcurro los años muy rápido. — Right: Transcurren los años muy rápido. — With transcurrir, the thing is the subject, not the person: transcurren is the form that agrees with los años muy rápido, and a person cannot be the subject of this verb in this sense.
- Wrong: Ayer, transcurre el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — Right: Ayer, transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: transcurre is happening now, while transcurrió is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating transcurrir and pasar as identical in every context. — Right: Transcurrir means to pass (time), to elapse, while pasar means to pass. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: transcurrir fits sentences such as Transcurren los años muy rápido, while pasar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Es transcurrido el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — Right: Ha transcurrido el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: ha transcurrido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, transcurrió la tarde en silencio todos los días. — Right: De niño, transcurría la tarde en silencio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (transcurría), not the preterite. The preterite (transcurrió) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on transcurrir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: ___ los años muy rápido. (present tense) A. transcurren B. transcurro C. transcurres D. transcurre
Complete the sentence: Ayer, ___ el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. (preterite) A. transcurrí B. transcurriste C. transcurrimos D. transcurrió
Complete the sentence: Antes, ___ la tarde en silencio. (imperfect) A. transcurríamos B. transcurro C. transcurría D. transcurrías
Complete the sentence: Mañana, ___ los días de vacaciones. (future) A. transcurrirá B. transcurrirán C. transcurriré D. transcurrirás
Complete the sentence: Si lloviera, ___ los años muy rápido. (conditional) A. transcurrirían B. transcurriría C. transcurrirías D. transcurro
Complete the sentence: Espero que ___ el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. (present subjunctive) A. transcurras B. transcurramos C. transcurro D. transcurra
Complete the sentence: Si ___ la tarde en silencio, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. transcurriéramos B. transcurro C. transcurriera D. transcurrieras
Complete the sentence: ___ los días de vacaciones. (present perfect) A. ha transcurrido B. han transcurrido C. he transcurrido D. has transcurrido
Which is the past participle of transcurrir, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. transcurrido B. transcurriendo C. transcurro D. transcurrí
Which is the gerund of transcurrir, used with estar for the progressive? A. transcurrido B. transcurro C. transcurrí D. transcurriendo
Answer key
- transcurren — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present tense of transcurrir is transcurren.
- transcurrió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of transcurrir is transcurrió.
- transcurría — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect of transcurrir is transcurría.
- transcurrirán — The ellos/ellas/Uds. future of transcurrir is transcurrirán.
- transcurrirían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. conditional of transcurrir is transcurrirían.
- transcurra — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of transcurrir is transcurra.
- transcurriera — The él/ella/Ud. imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of transcurrir is transcurriera.
- han transcurrido — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present perfect of transcurrir is han transcurrido.
- transcurrido — The past participle of transcurrir is transcurrido: he transcurrido. The gerund transcurriendo is used with estar instead.
- transcurriendo — The gerund of transcurrir is transcurriendo: estoy transcurriendo. The participle transcurrido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does transcurrir mean in English?
Transcurrir means to pass (time), to elapse. It is used in sentences such as Transcurren los años muy rápido — The years pass very quickly. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is transcurrir regular or irregular?
Transcurrir is a fully regular -ir verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including transcurren in the present and transcurrieron in the preterite.
What is the difference between transcurrir and pasar?
Transcurrir means to pass (time), to elapse, while pasar means to pass. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use transcurrir when you mean to pass (time), to elapse, as in Transcurren los años muy rápido, and use pasar for to pass. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I talk about the past with transcurrir?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished event, use the preterite: Transcurrió el tiempo sin darnos cuenta. For background in the past, use the imperfect: Transcurría la tarde en silencio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Ha transcurrido el tiempo sin darnos cuenta.
How do I practise transcurrir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the transcurrir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Transcurrir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for transcurrir.
- Transcurrir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for transcurrir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Sobrevivir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with transcurrir.
- Suprimir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with transcurrir.
- Urgir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with transcurrir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.