Tomar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tomar — to take — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Tomar means to take, to drink and to eat: tomar un café, tomar el autobús, tomar una decisión. It is completely regular. In Latin America tomar often replaces beber for drinks, and tomar el sol is to sunbathe. Its range makes it one of the most useful everyday verbs. On this page you will find tomar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with tomar

In the present tense

  • “Yo tomo un café cada mañana.” — “I have a coffee every morning.”
  • “Ella toma el autobús a las ocho.” — “She takes the bus at eight.”
  • “Nosotros tomamos una decisión importante.” — “We make an important decision.”
  • “Ellos toman fotos en el museo.” — “They take photos in the museum.”
  • “¿Tú tomas algo de postre?” — “Will you have some dessert?”
  • “Vosotros tomáis el sol en la playa.” — “You sunbathe on the beach.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo tomé un taxi al aeropuerto.” — “Yesterday I took a taxi to the airport.”
  • “Ella tomó un té con limón.” — “She had a tea with lemon.”
  • “Nosotros tomamos el tren de las nueve.” — “We took the nine o’clock train.”
  • “Ellos tomaron muchas fotos en el viaje.” — “They took lots of photos on the trip.”
  • “¿Tú tomaste la medicina anoche?” — “Did you take the medicine last night?”
  • “El grupo tomó un descanso a mediodía.” — “The group took a break at midday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo tomaba un café por la mañana.” — “As a child, I used to take a coffee in the morning.”
  • “Mañana, yo tomaré un café por la mañana.” — “Tomorrow, I will take a coffee in the morning.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo tomaría un café por la mañana.” — “If I could, I would take a coffee in the morning.”
  • “Yo he tomado un café por la mañana.” — “I have taken a coffee in the morning.”

Tomar in context

Cada día, yo tomo un café por la mañana. Mi amigo también toma un café por la mañana cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo tomo un café de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de tomar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo tomé un café por la mañana. Mi amigo tomó un café por la mañana también, y por la noche yo tomé un café otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de tomar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with tomar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Tomar una decisión — learners say hacer una decisión.

Right: Nosotros tomamos una decisión.

Decisions take tomar, not hacer: tomar una decisión.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Tomar el sol — learners translate sunbathe word by word.

Right: Vosotros tomáis el sol.

To sunbathe is tomar el sol, a set phrase, not sol bañarse.

Quiz: tomar in everyday use

Ten questions on tomar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) toma
  • D) tomamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is tomo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tomar in the present tense?

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) tomamos
  • D) toma

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is toma.

3. What is the yo form of tomar in the preterite?

  • A) tomó
  • B) tomamos
  • C) tomé
  • D) tomaste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is tomé.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of tomar in the preterite?

  • A) tomó
  • B) tomaron
  • C) tomé
  • D) tomaste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is tomaron.

5. What is the yo form of tomar in the imperfect?

  • A) tomaba
  • B) tomabas
  • C) tomaba
  • D) tomábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is tomaba.

6. What is the tú form of tomar in the future?

  • A) tomaré
  • B) tomará
  • C) tomaremos
  • D) tomarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is tomarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tomar in the conditional?

  • A) tomarías
  • B) tomaríamos
  • C) tomaría
  • D) tomaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is tomaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of tomar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha tomado
  • B) hemos tomado
  • C) he tomado
  • D) has tomado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos tomado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ un café cada mañana.” (I have a coffee every morning.)

  • A) tomo
  • B) tomas
  • C) toma
  • D) tomamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs tomo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Nosotros tomamos una decisión.
  • B) Tomar una decisión — learners say hacer una decisión.

Answer: A — Decisions take tomar, not hacer: tomar una decisión.

Frequently asked questions

What does tomar mean?

tomar means “to take” in English. Tomar means to take, to drink and to eat: tomar un café, tomar el autobús, tomar una decisión. It is completely regular. In Latin America tomar often replaces beber for drinks, and tomar el sol is to sunbathe. Its range makes it one of the most useful everyday verbs.

Is tomar regular?

Yes. tomar is a regular -ar verb, so its forms follow the standard endings in every tense. That makes it a good verb to learn early — once you know the endings, you know the verb.

When do I use tomar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — tomé, tomaste, tomó — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — tomaba, tomabas, tomaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to tomar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise tomar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Tomar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for tomar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo tomo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo tomé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo tomaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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