Cocer Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb cocer means to cook (boil/bake), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cocer means to cook food by boiling, steaming or baking: cocer las patatas, cocer el pan. The stem changes o to ue, and a z appears in the first person: cuezo, cueces, cuece. Like every Spanish verb, cocer 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 Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal — "I cook the potatoes in salted water". 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.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: cocer
  • English: to cook (boil/bake)
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: cociendo
  • Past participle: cocido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cocido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cocer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cocer. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cuezo | | tú | cueces | | él/ella/Ud. | cuece | | nosotros/as | cocemos | | vosotros/as | cocéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuecen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cocí | | tú | cociste | | él/ella/Ud. | coció | | nosotros/as | cocimos | | vosotros/as | cocisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cocieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cocía | | tú | cocías | | él/ella/Ud. | cocía | | nosotros/as | cocíamos | | vosotros/as | cocíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cocían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | coceré | | tú | cocerás | | él/ella/Ud. | cocerá | | nosotros/as | coceremos | | vosotros/as | coceréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cocerán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cocería | | tú | cocerías | | él/ella/Ud. | cocería | | nosotros/as | coceríamos | | vosotros/as | coceríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cocerían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he cocido | | tú | has cocido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha cocido | | nosotros/as | hemos cocido | | vosotros/as | habéis cocido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han cocido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había cocido | | tú | habías cocido | | él/ella/Ud. | había cocido | | nosotros/as | habíamos cocido | | vosotros/as | habíais cocido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían cocido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré cocido | | tú | habrás cocido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá cocido | | nosotros/as | habremos cocido | | vosotros/as | habréis cocido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán cocido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría cocido | | tú | habrías cocido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría cocido | | nosotros/as | habríamos cocido | | vosotros/as | habríais cocido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían cocido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cueza | | tú | cuezas | | él/ella/Ud. | cueza | | nosotros/as | cozamos | | vosotros/as | cocáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuezan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | cociera | | tú | cocieras | | él/ella/Ud. | cociera | | nosotros/as | cociéramos | | vosotros/as | cocierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cocieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cuece | | él/ella/Ud. | cueza | | nosotros/as | cozamos | | vosotros/as | coced | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuezan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | cuezas | | él/ella/Ud. | cueza | | nosotros/as | cozamos | | vosotros/as | cocáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuezan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund cociendo with estar for the progressive: está cociendo
Past participle cocido with haber for the perfect tenses: he cocido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis. For cocer, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal — "I cook the potatoes in salted water".

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 cocer, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo cocí el arroz a fuego lento — "Yesterday, I cooked the rice over a low heat".

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 cocer, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo cocía el pan en el horno — "As a child, I used to cook the bread in the oven".

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 cocer, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo coceré las verduras al vapor — "Tomorrow, I will cook the vegetables steamed".

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 cocer, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cocería las patatas en agua con sal si pudiera — "I would cook the potatoes in salted water if I could".

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 cocer, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he cocido el arroz a fuego lento — "Today, I have cooked the rice over a low heat".

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 cocer, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había cocido el pan en el horno antes de salir — "I already had cooked the bread in the oven before leaving".

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 cocer, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré cocido las verduras al vapor — "By tomorrow, I will have cooked the vegetables steamed".

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 cocer, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría cocido las patatas en agua con sal con más tiempo — "I would have cooked the potatoes in salted water with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis. For cocer, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cueza el arroz a fuego lento — "I hope he cooks the rice over a low heat".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are 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 cocer, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo cociera el pan en el horno, todo cambiaría — "If I cooked the bread in the oven, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis. For cocer, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Cuece las verduras al vapor. — "Cook the vegetables steamed.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis. For cocer, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No cuezas las patatas en agua con sal. — "Do not cook the potatoes in salted water.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with cocer, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal — "I cook the potatoes in salted water"
  2. Mi amigo cuece el arroz a fuego lento — "My friend cooks the rice over a low heat"
  3. Ayer, yo cocí el pan en el horno — "Yesterday, I cooked the bread in the oven"
  4. Antes, nosotros cocíamos las verduras al vapor — "Before, we used to cook the vegetables steamed"
  5. Mañana, tú cocerás los huevos durante diez minutos — "Tomorrow, you will cook the eggs for ten minutes"
  6. Yo cocería las patatas en agua con sal si tuviera más tiempo — "I would cook the potatoes in salted water if I had more time"
  7. Él ha cocido el arroz a fuego lento — "He has cooked the rice over a low heat"
  8. Espero que él cueza el pan en el horno — "I hope he cooks the bread in the oven"
  9. Yo ya había cocido las verduras al vapor antes de salir — "I already had cooked the vegetables steamed before leaving"
  10. Ellos cocían los huevos durante diez minutos cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to cook the eggs for ten minutes when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo coco el arroz a fuego lento. — Right: Yo cuezo el arroz a fuego lento. — cocer is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is cuezo, not coco.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él cuece el arroz a fuego lento — Right: Espero que él cueza el arroz a fuego lento — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él cueza el arroz a fuego lento — not the indicative Espero que él cuece el arroz a fuego lento.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo cuezo el pan en el horno — Right: Ayer, yo cocí el pan en el horno — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo cocí el pan en el horno.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo cocí las verduras al vapor todos los días — Right: De niño, yo cocía las verduras al vapor todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo cocía las verduras al vapor todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo cuezo en las patatas en agua con sal. — Right: Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal. — cocer takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on cocer. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las patatas en agua con sal — "I cook the potatoes in salted water" (present) A. cuezo B. cueces C. cuece D. cocemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ el arroz a fuego lento — "He cooked the rice over a low heat" (preterite) A. coció B. cocí C. cociste D. cocimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el pan en el horno — "We used to cook the bread in the oven" (imperfect) A. cocíais B. cocíamos C. cocía D. cocías

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ las verduras al vapor — "You will cook the vegetables steamed" (future) A. coceré B. cocerá C. coceremos D. cocerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ los huevos durante diez minutos — "I would cook the eggs for ten minutes" (conditional) A. cocería B. cocerías C. coceríamos D. coceríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ las patatas en agua con sal — "I hope he cooks the potatoes in salted water" (present subjunctive) A. cueza B. cuezas C. cozamos D. cocáis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el arroz a fuego lento, todo cambiaría — "If I cooked the rice over a low heat, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. cociera B. cocieras C. cociéramos D. cocierais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ el pan en el horno — "We have cooked the bread in the oven" (present perfect) A. ha cocido B. hemos cocido C. he cocido D. has cocido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ las verduras al vapor. — "Do not cook the vegetables steamed." (negative imperative) A. cueza B. cozamos C. cocáis D. cuezas

  10. Which is the gerund of cocer, used with estar for the progressive? A. cuezo B. cocí C. cociendo D. cocido

Answer key

  1. cuezo — The present form for yo is cuezo.
  2. coció — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is coció.
  3. cocíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is cocíamos.
  4. cocerás — The future form for tú is cocerás.
  5. cocería — The conditional form for yo is cocería.
  6. cueza — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is cueza.
  7. cociera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is cociera.
  8. hemos cocido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos cocido.
  9. cuezas — The negative imperative form is cuezas.
  10. cociendo — The gerund of cocer is cociendo: estoy cociendo. The participle cocido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does cocer mean in English?

cocer means to cook (boil/bake). It is used in everyday situations such as Yo cuezo las patatas en agua con sal — "I cook the potatoes in salted water". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is cocer regular?

No. cocer is a stem-changing -er verb (o → ue). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: cuezo, cueces, cuece and cuecen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: cocemos, cocéis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of cocer?

The gerund is cociendo and the past participle is cocido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I cook" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo cocí el arroz a fuego lento — "Yesterday, I cooked the rice over a low heat". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo cocía el pan en el horno — "As a child, I used to cook the bread in the oven". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he cocido el arroz a fuego lento — "Today, I have cooked the rice over a low heat".

What is the difference between cocer and cocinar?

Cocinar is the general activity of cooking. Cocer is what happens to the food itself — the potatoes cuecen in the water. Cocer means to cook food by boiling, steaming or baking: cocer las patatas, cocer el pan. The stem changes o to ue, and a z appears in the first person: cuezo, cueces, cuece.

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