Coger Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb coger means to take, to catch, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, coger 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 cojo el autobús cada mañana, and in the preterite you say cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. 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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: coger
  • English: to take, to catch
  • Verb type: spelling-changing verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: cogiendo
  • Past participle: cogido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cogido)
  • Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for coger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes j before o and a, so the present is yo cojo and the subjunctive is coja — never cogo.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for coger. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo cojo
tú coges
él/ella/Ud. coge
nosotros/as cogemos
vosotros/as cogéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogen

Preterite

Person Form
yo cogí
tú cogiste
él/ella/Ud. cogió
nosotros/as cogimos
vosotros/as cogisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo cogía
tú cogías
él/ella/Ud. cogía
nosotros/as cogíamos
vosotros/as cogíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogían

Future

Person Form
yo cogeré
tú cogerás
él/ella/Ud. cogerá
nosotros/as cogeremos
vosotros/as cogeréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogerán

Conditional

Person Form
yo cogería
tú cogerías
él/ella/Ud. cogería
nosotros/as cogeríamos
vosotros/as cogeríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogerían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo coja
tú cojas
él/ella/Ud. coja
nosotros/as cojamos
vosotros/as cogáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cojan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo cogiera
tú cogieras
él/ella/Ud. cogiera
nosotros/as cogiéramos
vosotros/as cogierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. cogieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú coge
él/ella/Ud. coja
nosotros/as cojamos
vosotros/as coged
ellos/ellas/Uds. cojan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú cojas
él/ella/Ud. coja
nosotros/as cojamos
vosotros/as cogáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cojan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund cogiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy cogiendo
Past participle cogido with haber for the perfect tenses: he cogido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: g becomes j before o and a, so the present is yo cojo and the subjunctive is coja, never cogo. For coger, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Cojo el autobús cada mañana. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, cogí una manzana del árbol. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, cogía el teléfono al primer timbre. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, cogeré las llaves de la mesa. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Cogería el autobús cada mañana si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he cogido una manzana del árbol. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había cogido el teléfono al primer timbre antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré cogido las llaves de la mesa. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

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 coger, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría cogido el autobús cada mañana con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For coger, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él coja una manzana del árbol. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms 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 coger, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él cogiera el teléfono al primer timbre, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For coger, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡coge las llaves de la mesa! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For coger, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No cojas el autobús cada mañana. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

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

  1. Cojo el autobús cada mañana. — I take the bus every morning.
  2. Coge una manzana del árbol. — He/she takes an apple from the tree.
  3. Ayer, cogí el teléfono al primer timbre. — Yesterday, I took the phone at the first ring.
  4. Antes, nosotros cogíamos las llaves de la mesa. — Before, we used to take the keys from the table.
  5. Mañana, tú cogerás el autobús cada mañana. — Tomorrow, you will take the bus every morning.
  6. Yo cogería una manzana del árbol si tuviera más tiempo. — I would take an apple from the tree if I had more time.
  7. Él ha cogido el teléfono al primer timbre. — He has taken the phone at the first ring.
  8. Espero que él coja las llaves de la mesa. — I hope he takes the keys from the table.
  9. Yo ya había cogido el autobús cada mañana antes de salir. — I had already taken the bus every morning before leaving.
  10. Ellos cogían una manzana del árbol cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to take an apple from the tree when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el autobús cada mañana. (present tense) A. cojo B. coges C. coge D. cogemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ una manzana del árbol. (preterite) A. cogí B. cogiste C. cogieron D. cogió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el teléfono al primer timbre. (imperfect) A. cogías B. cogían C. cogíamos D. cogía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las llaves de la mesa. (future) A. cogeremos B. cogerás C. cogeré D. cogerá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el autobús cada mañana si pudiera. (conditional) A. cogería B. cogerías C. cogerían D. cojo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una manzana del árbol. (present subjunctive) A. cojas B. cojamos C. cojo D. coja

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el teléfono al primer timbre, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cogiéramos B. cojo C. cogiera D. cogieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las llaves de la mesa. (present perfect) A. han cogido B. hemos cogido C. he cogido D. has cogido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el autobús cada mañana! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. coge B. coja C. cojamos D. coged

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

Answer key

  1. cojo — The first-person present of coger is cojo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. cogió — The third-person preterite of coger is cogió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. cogíamos — The nosotros imperfect of coger is cogíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. cogerás — The second-person future of coger is cogerás.
  5. cogería — The first-person conditional of coger is cogería, the form for what would happen.
  6. coja — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of coger is coja.
  7. cogiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of coger is cogiera.
  8. hemos cogido — The nosotros present perfect of coger is hemos cogido: hemos + cogido.
  9. coge — The affirmative tú imperative of coger is coge.
  10. cogiendo — The gerund of coger is cogiendo: estoy cogiendo. The participle cogido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does coger mean in English?

Coger means to take, to catch. It is used in everyday situations such as Cojo el autobús cada mañana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is coger regular or irregular?

Coger is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is cojo. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -er verbs.

What is the difference between coger and tomar?

Coger means to take, to catch, while tomar means to take something. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use coger when you mean to take, to catch, as in Cojo el autobús cada mañana, and use tomar for to take something. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I take” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo cogí una manzana del árbol. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo cogía el teléfono al primer timbre. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he cogido una manzana del árbol.

How do I practise coger?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the coger examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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