correr el riesgo de
verbUpper-intermediate
What does “correr el riesgo de” mean in English?
to run the risk of
to run the risk of (correr el riesgo de + inf or de que + subjunctive when subjects differ)
Example sentences
Si no actuamos a tiempo, corremos el riesgo de que el problema se vuelva inmanejable.
If we don't act in time, we run the risk of the problem becoming unmanageable.
Al tomar esta decisión, la empresa corre el riesgo de perder clientes clave.
In making this decision, the company runs the risk of losing key clients.
Nadie quiere correr el riesgo de ser el responsable de un fracaso de esta envergadura.
Nobody wants to run the risk of being responsible for a failure of this scale.
How to use it
Correr el riesgo de means 'to run the risk of'. It is a formal collocation used in academic, journalistic, and professional writing. Construction: correr el riesgo de + infinitive (same subject) or correr el riesgo de que + subjunctive (different subject): 'corremos el riesgo de perder la oportunidad' vs 'corremos el riesgo de que se pierda la oportunidad'. Contrast with arriesgar (to risk, verb) and exponerse a (to expose oneself to, near synonym).
Common mistake
The preposition is de: correr el riesgo de (not *arriesgarse a, different verb entirely). When the subject of the embedded clause changes, subjunctive is required after de que. Don't use *asumir el riesgo de in this idiomatic sense — asumir un riesgo means 'to take on a risk' knowingly, while correr el riesgo de implies potential unintended exposure.
Topics
Related Upper-intermediate words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Funciones 5.39.