incurrían

Incurrir is a Spanish verb meaning to incur, to become liable or subject to something, often expenses, penalties, or obligations. Incurrían is the imperfect indicative form for the third-person plural (ellos, ellas, o ustedes), used to describe ongoing or repeated past actions: "they were incurring" or "they used to incur." The common construction is incurrir en + noun or noun phrase, for example, incurrir en gastos or incurrir en deudas.

Etymology and origin: The verb derives from Latin incurrere, a combination of in- "into" and currere "to run." It entered Spanish through historical contact with Latin and developed a sense centered on entering into liability or obligation, rather than a physical movement.

Usage and nuance: Incurrían appears primarily in narrative or formal contexts to indicate that a subject came to bear costs, penalties, or responsibilities in the past. It is typically used with en to introduce what is incurred: incurrir en gastos, incurrir en deudas, incurrir en sanciones. The choice of subject and tense shapes the interpretation as ongoing past activity or habitual pattern.

Examples:

Las empresas incurrían en costos crecientes durante el año.

Los gobiernos incurrían en sanciones por incumplimientos.

Related forms include incurrir (infinitive), incurro/incurre (present), incuría (imperfect), and incurrido (participle).