Coger Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of coger — “to take, to catch” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for coger with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. Coger is a spelling-changing verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Cojo el autobús cada mañana.
Present tense conjugation table: coger
Every person of coger in the present tense. The gerund is cogiendo and the past participle is cogido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cojo |
| tú | coges |
| él/ella/Ud. | coge |
| nosotros/as | cogemos |
| vosotros/as | cogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cogen |
How the present of coger is formed
The present of coger is built from the stem cog- plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | cojo |
| tú | -es | coges |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | coge |
| nosotros/as | -emos | cogemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | cogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | cogen |
Watch out for yo: the form is cojo, not the regular cogo. The spelling changes here so the pronunciation stays the same.
When to use the present tense with coger
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. — I take the bus every morning.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella coge una manzana del árbol. — He takes an apple from the tree.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as cogemos el teléfono al primer timbre. — Right now, We take the phone at the first ring.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú coges las llaves de la mesa. — Tomorrow, You take the keys from the table.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella coge el autobús cada mañana. — He takes the bus every morning.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with coger.
- Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. — I take the bus every morning. / Ayer, Yo cogí el autobús cada mañana. — Yesterday, I took the bus every morning.
- Yo cojo una manzana del árbol. — I take an apple from the tree. / Ayer, Yo cogí una manzana del árbol. — Yesterday, I took an apple from the tree.
- Yo cojo el teléfono al primer timbre. — I take the phone at the first ring. / Ayer, Yo cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. — Yesterday, I took the phone at the first ring.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with coger in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo cojo el autobús cada mañana. — I take the bus every morning.
- Tú coges una manzana del árbol. — You take an apple from the tree.
- Él/Ella coge el teléfono al primer timbre. — He takes the phone at the first ring.
- Nosotros/as cogemos las llaves de la mesa. — We take the keys from the table.
- Vosotros/as cogéis el autobús cada mañana. — You take the bus every morning.
- Ellos/as cogen una manzana del árbol. — They take an apple from the tree.
- Yo cojo el teléfono al primer timbre. — I take the phone at the first ring.
Common mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- Wrong: Using coger where tomar belongs. — Right: Coger means to take, to catch, while tomar means to take something. — Check the meaning before you choose: coger fits Cojo el autobús cada mañana.
- Wrong: Espero que él coge una manzana del árbol. — Right: Espero que él coja una manzana del árbol. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: coja, not the present indicative coge.
Quiz: the present tense of coger
Eight questions on the present tense of coger. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el autobús cada mañana. (present tense, yo) A. cojo B. coges C. coge D. cogemos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ una manzana del árbol. (present tense, tú) A. cojo B. coge C. cogemos D. coges
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ el teléfono al primer timbre. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. coges B. cogemos C. coge D. cojo
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ las llaves de la mesa. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. coge B. cogemos C. cojo D. coges
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ el autobús cada mañana. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. cogéis B. cojo C. coges D. coge
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ una manzana del árbol. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. cojo B. coges C. coge D. cogen
Which is the gerund of coger? A. cojo B. cogí C. cogiendo D. cogido
Which is the past participle of coger, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cogí B. cogido C. cogiendo D. cojo
Answer key
- cojo — The yo present form of coger is cojo.
- coges — The tú present form of coger is coges.
- coge — The él/ella/Ud. present form of coger is coge.
- cogemos — The nosotros/as present form of coger is cogemos.
- cogéis — The vosotros/as present form of coger is cogéis.
- cogen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of coger is cogen.
- cogiendo — The gerund of coger is cogiendo: estoy cogiendo.
- cogido — The past participle of coger is cogido: he cogido, has cogido, ha cogido.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of coger formed?
Take the infinitive coger, drop the -er ending to get the stem cog-, then add the present endings: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. The full table is above, with every person. The present of coger has a spelling change so the pronunciation stays the same, but the endings are regular.
When do I use the present tense of coger?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Cojo el autobús cada mañana.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of coger?
The present (cojo) and the preterite (cogí) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of coger?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of coger to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the coger examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Coger conjugation — the full conjugation tables for coger.
- Coger examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for coger.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.