Coger Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

coger means “to take, to catch” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Coger means to take or to catch, and it is one of the most useful everyday verbs in Spain: you catch the bus, you take an apple from the tree, you answer the phone, you pick up the keys. Note that in much of Latin America coger is vulgar, and agarrar or tomar is used instead. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of coger; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the coger present tense page.

coger in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with coger in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. — I take the bus every morning.
  2. Él/Ella coge una manzana del árbol. — He takes an apple from the tree.
  3. Nosotros/as cogemos el teléfono al primer timbre. — We take the phone at the first ring.
  4. Ellos/as cogen las llaves de la mesa. — They take the keys from the table.

In the past

Four sentences with coger in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. — Yesterday, I took the phone at the first ring.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as cogíamos las llaves de la mesa. — Before, We used to take the keys from the table.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella cogió el autobús cada mañana. — Yesterday, He took the bus every morning.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as cogían una manzana del árbol. — As children, They used to take an apple from the tree.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with coger in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú cogerás el autobús cada mañana. — Tomorrow, You will take the bus every morning.
  2. Yo cogería una manzana del árbol. — I would take an apple from the tree.
  3. Espero que él coja el teléfono al primer timbre. — I hope he takes the phone at the first ring.
  4. Él/Ella ha cogido las llaves de la mesa. — He has taken the keys from the table.

coger in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú coges el autobús cada mañana mañana? — Are you going to take the bus every morning tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo cojo el autobús cada mañana todos los días. — Yes, I take the bus every morning every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana cogerás una manzana del árbol? — And tomorrow, will you take an apple from the tree? Luis: Claro, mañana cogeré una manzana del árbol sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will take an apple from the tree without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo cogeré el teléfono al primer timbre también. — Perfect. I will take the phone at the first ring too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. — Yesterday, I took the phone at the first ring. Ana: ¿Y antes cogías las llaves de la mesa? — And before, did you use to take the keys from the table? Luis: Sí, antes cogía las llaves de la mesa todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to take the keys from the table every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos cogieron el autobús cada mañana? — And did your brothers took the bus every morning? Luis: Sí, ellos cogieron el autobús cada mañana por la tarde. — Yes, they took the bus every morning in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo coge el autobús cada mañana. — Right: Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. — The person matters: coge is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cojo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo cogo una manzana del árbol. — Right: Yo cojo una manzana del árbol. — Spelling change: g becomes j before o and a, so the present is yo cojo and the subjunctive is coja, never cogo.
  3. Wrong: Treating coger and tomar as identical in every context. — Right: Coger means to take, to catch, while tomar means to take something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: coger fits sentences such as Cojo el autobús cada mañana, while tomar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy cogido una manzana del árbol. — Right: Yo he cogido una manzana del árbol. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cogido, has cogido, ha cogido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo cogí el teléfono al primer timbre todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo cogía el teléfono al primer timbre todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cogía), not the preterite. The preterite (cogí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on coger in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ las llaves de la mesa. (present tense) A. cogen B. cojo C. coges D. coge

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ el autobús cada mañana. (preterite tense) A. cogí B. cogiste C. cogió D. cogimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ una manzana del árbol. (imperfect tense) A. cogíamos B. cogíais C. cogías D. cogía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ el teléfono al primer timbre. (future tense) A. cogeremos B. cogerá C. cogeré D. cogerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ las llaves de la mesa. (conditional tense) A. cogeríamos B. cogería C. cogerías D. cogeríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ el autobús cada mañana. (present-perfect tense) A. has cogido B. ha cogido C. hemos cogido D. he cogido

  7. What does coger mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to take, to catch D. to take something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. B. Yo coge el autobús cada mañana. C. Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. D. Él/Ella coge una manzana del árbol.

  9. Which is the gerund of coger, used with estar for the progressive? A. cogiendo B. cogido C. cojo D. cogí

  10. Which is the past participle of coger, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cogiendo B. cojo C. cogí D. cogido

Answer key

  1. cogen — The correct form here is cogen.
  2. cogimos — The correct form here is cogimos.
  3. cogías — The correct form here is cogías.
  4. cogerá — The correct form here is cogerá.
  5. cogeríamos — The correct form here is cogeríamos.
  6. he cogido — The correct form here is he cogido.
  7. to take, to catch — Coger means to take, to catch. Tomar means to take something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo coge el autobús cada mañana. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana.. The person matters: coge is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is cojo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. cogiendo — The gerund of coger is cogiendo: estoy cogiendo.
  10. cogido — The past participle of coger is cogido: he cogido, has cogido, ha cogido.

Frequently asked questions

What does coger mean?

Coger means to take, to catch. Coger means to take or to catch, and it is one of the most useful everyday verbs in Spain: you catch the bus, you take an apple from the tree, you answer the phone, you pick up the keys. Note that in much of Latin America coger is vulgar, and agarrar or tomar is used instead.

When do people use coger most?

People use coger most in everyday situations such as Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. and Ayer, Yo cogí el teléfono al primer timbre.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between coger and tomar?

Coger means to take, to catch, while tomar means to take something. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of coger?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of coger as your reference, the coger present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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