Cotillear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb cotillear means to gossip, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Cotillear is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of cotillear in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo cotilleo con su vecina — "I gossip with her neighbour" — and in the preterite you say Yo cotilleé sobre los demás — "I gossiped about other people". 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: cotillear
- English: to gossip
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: cotilleando
- Past participle: cotilleado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + cotilleado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cotillear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for cotillear. 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.
Gerund: cotilleando · Past participle: cotilleado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotilleo |
| tú | cotilleas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotillea |
| nosotros/as | cotilleamos |
| vosotros/as | cotilleáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotillean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotilleé |
| tú | cotilleaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotilleó |
| nosotros/as | cotilleamos |
| vosotros/as | cotilleasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotillearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotilleaba |
| tú | cotilleabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotilleaba |
| nosotros/as | cotilleábamos |
| vosotros/as | cotilleabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotilleaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotillearé |
| tú | cotillearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotilleará |
| nosotros/as | cotillearemos |
| vosotros/as | cotillearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotillearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotillearía |
| tú | cotillearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotillearía |
| nosotros/as | cotillearíamos |
| vosotros/as | cotillearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotillearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he cotilleado |
| tú | has cotilleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha cotilleado |
| nosotros/as | hemos cotilleado |
| vosotros/as | habéis cotilleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han cotilleado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había cotilleado |
| tú | habías cotilleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había cotilleado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos cotilleado |
| vosotros/as | habíais cotilleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían cotilleado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré cotilleado |
| tú | habrás cotilleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá cotilleado |
| nosotros/as | habremos cotilleado |
| vosotros/as | habréis cotilleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán cotilleado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría cotilleado |
| tú | habrías cotilleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría cotilleado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos cotilleado |
| vosotros/as | habríais cotilleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían cotilleado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotillee |
| tú | cotillees |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotillee |
| nosotros/as | cotilleemos |
| vosotros/as | cotilleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotilleen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | cotilleara |
| tú | cotillearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotilleara |
| nosotros/as | cotilleáramos |
| vosotros/as | cotillearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotillearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cotillea |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotillee |
| nosotros/as | cotilleemos |
| vosotros/as | cotillead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotilleen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | cotillees |
| él/ella/Ud. | cotillee |
| nosotros/as | cotilleemos |
| vosotros/as | cotilleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cotilleen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | cotilleando | with estar for the progressive: estoy cotilleando |
| Past participle | cotilleado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he cotilleado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For cotillear, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cotilleo sobre los demás — "I gossip about other people". Learn the present indicative 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 in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For cotillear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Toda la tarde, yo cotilleé — "All afternoon, I gossiped". 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 words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For cotillear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cotilleaba con su vecina — "I used to gossip with her neighbour". 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. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For cotillear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo cotillearé sobre los demás — "I will gossip about other people". 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 in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For cotillear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Toda la tarde, yo cotillearía — "All afternoon, I would gossip". 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. It connects the past with the present moment. For cotillear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he cotilleado con su vecina — "I have gossiped with her neighbour". 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. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For cotillear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había cotilleado sobre los demás — "I had gossiped about other people". 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, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For cotillear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Toda la tarde, yo habré cotilleado — "All afternoon, I will have gossiped". 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. It looks back at a past that never happened. For cotillear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría cotilleado con su vecina — "I would have gossiped with her neighbour". 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. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For cotillear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él cotillee sobre los demás — "I hope he gossips about other people". 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 cotillear, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo cotilleara toda la tarde, todo cambiaría — "If I gossiped all afternoon, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) 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. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For cotillear, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Cotillee con su vecina — "Let him gossip with her neighbour". Learn the imperative (affirmative) 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. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For cotillear, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No cotillees sobre los demás — "Don't gossip about other people". Learn the imperative (negative) 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 cotillear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Toda la tarde, yo cotilleo — "All afternoon, I gossip"
- Él cotillea con su vecina — "He gossips with her neighbour"
- Yo cotilleé sobre los demás — "I gossiped about other people"
- Toda la tarde, yo cotilleaba — "All afternoon, I used to gossip"
- Tú cotillearás con su vecina — "You will gossip with her neighbour"
- Yo cotillearía sobre los demás — "I would gossip about other people"
- Toda la tarde, él ha cotilleado — "All afternoon, he has gossiped"
- Espero que él cotillee con su vecina — "I hope he gossips with her neighbour"
- Yo había cotilleado sobre los demás — "I had gossiped about other people"
- Toda la tarde, ellos cotilleaban — "All afternoon, they used to gossip"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos cotillea con su vecina — Right: Ellos cotillean con su vecina — Ellos needs the ellos form cotillean. The singular cotillea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo cotilleo — Right: Ayer, yo cotilleé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to cotilleé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo cotilleé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo cotilleaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (cotilleaba), not the preterite. The preterite (cotilleé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy cotilleado sobre los demás. — Right: Yo he cotilleado sobre los demás. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cotilleado, has cotilleado, ha cotilleado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Treating cotillear and chismorrear as identical in every context. — Right: Cotillear means to gossip, while chismorrear means to gossip. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: cotillear fits sentences such as Yo cotilleo con su vecina, while chismorrear belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on cotillear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con su vecina. (present tense) A. habríais cotilleado B. cotilleéis C. cotilleo D. cotillearás
Complete the sentence: Él ___ con su vecina. (preterite) A. cotilleará B. cotillead C. cotillearían D. cotilleó
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con su vecina. (imperfect) A. hemos cotilleado B. cotillearais C. habríamos cotilleado D. cotilleábamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ con su vecina. (future) A. cotillearás B. cotillearías C. cotillead D. cotillean
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con su vecina. (conditional) A. cotilleaba B. he cotilleado C. cotilleábamos D. cotillearía
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con su vecina. (present subjunctive) A. cotilleemos B. cotillee C. cotillearan D. cotillearían
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con su vecina, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. cotillearíais B. habías cotilleado C. cotilleara D. cotillearíamos
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con su vecina. (present perfect) A. cotillearíamos B. cotillearíais C. hemos cotilleado D. habréis cotilleado
Complete the command: No ___ con su vecina. (negative imperative, tú) A. cotillee B. cotilleen C. cotilleemos D. cotillees
Which is the gerund of cotillear, used with estar for the progressive? A. cotillearé B. cotilleado C. cotilleé D. cotilleando
Answer key
- cotilleo — The yo present tense of cotillear is cotilleo.
- cotilleó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of cotillear is cotilleó.
- cotilleábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of cotillear is cotilleábamos.
- cotillearás — The tú future of cotillear is cotillearás.
- cotillearía — The yo conditional of cotillear is cotillearía.
- cotillee — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of cotillear is cotillee.
- cotilleara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of cotillear is cotilleara.
- hemos cotilleado — The nosotros/as present perfect of cotillear is hemos cotilleado.
- cotillees — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: cotillees.
- cotilleando — The gerund of cotillear is cotilleando: estoy cotilleando. The participle cotilleado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does cotillear mean in English?
Cotillear means to gossip. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo cotilleo con su vecina. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is cotillear regular?
Yes. Cotillear is a regular -ar verb: cotilleo, cotilleas, cotillea. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the difference between cotillear and chismorrear?
Cotillear means to gossip, while chismorrear means to gossip. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use cotillear when you mean to gossip, as in Yo cotilleo con su vecina, and use chismorrear for to gossip. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I gossip” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo cotilleé sobre los demás. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Toda la tarde, yo cotilleaba. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he cotilleado con su vecina.
How do I practise cotillear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the cotillear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Cotillear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for cotillear.
- Cotillear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for cotillear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Chismorrear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cotillear.
- Endeudarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cotillear.
- Facturar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with cotillear.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.