errar
“errar” means “to miss” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to miss, to err
Also: to fail
📝 In Action
El cazador erró el tiro y el ciervo escapó.
B1The hunter missed the shot and the deer escaped.
Errar es de humanos, pero perdonar es divino.
B2To err is human, but to forgive is divine.
Yerras si piensas que el examen será fácil.
C1You are mistaken if you think the exam will be easy.
to wander
Also: to roam
📝 In Action
El caballero andante erraba por los bosques.
C1The knight-errant wandered through the forests.
Pasó años errando de ciudad en ciudad.
C1He spent years roaming from city to city.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: errar
Question 1 of 3
Which is the correct 'yo' form of 'errar' in the present tense?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin verb 'errare', which meant both 'to wander' and 'to stray from the truth' (to make a mistake).
First recorded: 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'errar' the same as 'herrar'?
No! Although they sound the same, 'herrar' (with an H) means to put horseshoes on a horse (from 'hierro' - iron). 'Errar' means to miss or wander.
Why don't we say 'nosotros yerramos'?
In stem-changing verbs, the change only happens when the syllable is stressed. In 'erramos', the stress is on 'ra', so the 'e' stays as a simple 'e'.
Can 'errar' be used for computer errors?
Not usually as a verb. You would say 'ha habido un error' (there has been an error) using the noun form.