Tocar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of tocar — "to play (an instrument), to touch" 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 tocar 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. Tocar means "to touch" and "to play (an instrument)" — you touch a hot stove, and you play the guitar, the piano, the drums. It is also used for "it's someone's turn" (te toca a ti) and for knocking on a door (tocar la puerta). The present tense is completely regular, so the only thing to watch is the preterite, where the yo form changes c to qu (toqué) to keep the k sound. In the present, the forms are plain: toco, tocas, toca, tocamos, tocáis, tocan. To see it in a real sentence: Yo toco la guitarra. — "I play the guitar.".
Present tense conjugation table: tocar
Every person of tocar in the present tense. The gerund is tocando and the past participle is tocado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | toco |
| tú | tocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | toca |
| nosotros/as | tocamos |
| vosotros/as | tocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tocan |
How the present indicative of tocar is formed
The present indicative of tocar is built from the stem toc- plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar 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 | toco |
| tú | -as | tocas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | toca |
| nosotros/as | -amos | tocamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | tocáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | tocan |
tocar is regular in the present indicative: the stem is toc- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, giving toco, tocas, toca, tocamos, tocáis and tocan. The spelling change that learners associate with this verb — c to qu in tocar before e, or z to c — belongs to the preterite, not to the present tense, so it does not affect any form on this page. In the present, just use the plain stem and the regular endings, and watch the written accent on the vosotros form, tocáis.
The gerund of tocar is tocando and the past participle is tocado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of tocar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and tocar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Playing an instrument
Tocar + instrument is the standard phrase for playing music.
"Yo toco la guitarra." — "I play the guitar."
Touching something
The present describes touching now — hot, cold, soft, rough.
"Tú tocas la puerta con cuidado." — "You touch the door carefully."
Playing in a band
The present states a regular musical activity.
"Nosotros tocamos en una banda de rock." — "We play in a rock band."
It being someone's turn
Te toca, me toca, le toca — the present states whose turn it is.
"Ahora te toca a ti." — "Now it's your turn."
Knocking on a door
Tocar la puerta means to knock, and the present describes the action.
"Mi vecino toca la puerta cada mañana." — "My neighbour knocks on the door every morning."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo toco el piano desde niño. — "I play the piano since I was a child."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo toqué el piano desde niño. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú tocas la batería muy bien. — "You play the drums very well."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú tocabas la batería muy bien. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Ella toca el violín en la orquesta. — "She plays the violin in the orchestra."
- Future — what will happen: Ella tocará el violín en la orquesta. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: tocar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show tocar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo toco el piano desde niño. — "I play the piano since I was a child."
- Tú tocas la batería muy bien. — "You play the drums very well."
- Ella toca el violín en la orquesta. — "She plays the violin in the orchestra."
- Nosotros tocamos música clásica. — "We play classical music."
- Vosotros tocáis la flauta en el colegio. — "You play the flute at school."
- Ellos tocan jazz los viernes. — "They play jazz on Fridays."
- El niño toca el tambor. — "The child plays the drum."
Common mistakes with tocar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with tocar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo toco a la guitarra.
✓ Correct: Yo toco la guitarra.
Instruments take no personal a: tocar la guitarra, not tocar a la guitarra. The a is only for people.
✗ *Tú tocás la batería (putting the accent on the wrong syllable).
✓ Correct: Tú tocas la batería muy bien.
Tocas has no written accent. The stress falls naturally on the first syllable, so no accent mark is needed.
✗ *Vosotros tocáis la flauta (written without the accent: tocais).
✓ Correct: Vosotros tocáis la flauta en el colegio.
Tocáis needs the written accent on the á.
✗ *Ahora tú tocas a ti.
✓ Correct: Ahora te toca a ti.
For "it's your turn", the structure is te toca a ti — the verb agrees with the turn (third person), not with you. Tú tocas means "you play/touch".
Quiz: tocar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of tocar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of tocar for tú?
- a) toca
- b) toco
- c) tocan
- d) tocas
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el piano desde niño. — "I play the piano since I was a child."
- a) toqué
- b) toco
- c) tocas
- d) tocan
3. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ la puerta con cuidado. — "You touch the door carefully."
- a) tocas
- b) toca
- c) tocaste
- d) tocamos
4. Which is the correct present tense form of tocar for nosotros?
- a) tocan
- b) toco
- c) tocamos
- d) tocas
5. Which sentence uses tocar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Ella tocó el violín en la orquesta.
- b) Ella toca el violín en la orquesta.
- c) Ella tocas el violín en la orquesta.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of tocar for vosotros?
- a) toco
- b) toca
- c) tocáis
- d) tocas
7. Complete the sentence: Ahora te ______ a ti. — "Now it's your turn."
- a) tocó
- b) toca
- c) tocan
- d) toco
8. What is the gerund of tocar?
- a) tocado
- b) tocando
- c) tocamos
- d) toco
Answer key
d) tocas — The tú form is tocas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; toco is yo, toca is él/ella and tocan is ellos/ellas.
b) toco — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: toco. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) tocas — The subject is tú, so the present form is tocas.
c) tocamos — Nosotros takes tocamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem toc-.
b) Ella toca el violín en la orquesta. — Ella toca el violín en la orquesta. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
c) tocáis — Vosotros takes tocáis. Remember the written accent on the ending — it is part of the correct spelling.
b) toca — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is toca.
b) tocando — The gerund is tocando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle tocado.
Frequently asked questions
Is tocar regular in the present tense?
Yes, in the present tense tocar follows the regular -ar endings. The spelling change associated with this verb belongs to the preterite, not to the present tense.
What is the gerund and the past participle of tocar?
The gerund is tocando and the past participle is tocado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to play (an instrument), to touch" in Spanish?
Say toco. For example: Yo toco el piano desde niño. — "I play the piano since I was a child.".
What is the difference between tocar and jugar?
tocar means "to play (an instrument), to touch", while jugar means "to play (a game)". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use tocar when you mean "to play (an instrument), to touch" and jugar when you mean "to play (a game)". The full conjugation of jugar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of tocar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- tocar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.