Introduction
Toser means “to cough”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Toser means to cough, and it is the verb for coughing from a cold, from smoke and from nerves: toser toda la noche, toser por el humo. It is a regular -er verb, common in health contexts. This page shows toser in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — I cough all night with the flu.
Toser in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how toser is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use toser in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — I cough all night with the flu.
“¿Toses por el humo del tabaco?” — Do you cough because of tobacco smoke?
“Tose mucho en invierno.” — He/she coughs a lot in winter.
“Nosotros tosemos sin parar en clase.” — We cough without stopping in class.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show toser in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo tosí toda la noche con la gripe.” — Yesterday, I coughed all night with the flu. (preterite)
“Antes, él tosía por el humo del tabaco.” — Before, he used to cough because of tobacco smoke. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of toser stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros toseremos mucho en invierno.” — Tomorrow, we will cough a lot in winter. (future)
“¿Tú has tosido sin parar en clase?” — Have you coughed without stopping in class? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros toséis toda la noche con la gripe.” — You cough all night with the flu.
“Ellos tosen por el humo del tabaco.” — They cough because of tobacco smoke.
“Yo toso mucho en invierno.” — I cough a lot in winter.
“Mi padre tose sin parar en clase.” — My father coughs without stopping in class.
Toser in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how toser appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú toses por el humo del tabaco?” — Do you cough because of tobacco smoke?
Pedro: “Sí, yo toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — Yes, I cough all night with the flu.
Marta: “Nosotros tosemos sin parar en clase.” — We cough without stopping in class.
Pedro: “Y ellos tosen por el humo del tabaco.” — And they cough because of tobacco smoke.
Marta: “Vosotros toséis mucho en invierno.” — You cough a lot in winter.
Pedro: “Sí, y él tose toda la noche con la gripe.” — Yes, and he coughs all night with the flu.
A short paragraph
Tose toda la noche con la gripe, y nosotros tosemos sin parar en clase. Yo toso por el humo del tabaco, y ellos tosen mucho en invierno. Toser is part of everyday life, because cough is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with toser
These are the errors learners actually make with toser. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo tose toda la noche con la gripe.” Right: “Yo toso toda la noche con la gripe.” Why: The person matters: tose is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is toso. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo toso por el humo del tabaco.” Right: “Ayer yo tosí por el humo del tabaco.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: toso is happening now, while tosí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating toser and estornudar as identical in every context.” Right: “Toser means to cough, while estornudar means to sneeze.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: toser fits sentences such as Toso toda la noche con la gripe, while estornudar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy tosido por el humo del tabaco.” Right: “Yo he tosido por el humo del tabaco.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tosido, has tosido, ha tosido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo tosí mucho en invierno todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo tosía mucho en invierno todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tosía), not the preterite. The preterite (tosí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: toser in use
Ten questions on toser in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ toda la noche con la gripe.” (You cough all night with the flu.)
- (a) toséis
- (b) toso
- (c) toses
Answer: toséis — The vosotros/as form of toser in the present tense is toséis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ por el humo del tabaco.” (They cough because of tobacco smoke.)
- (a) toses
- (b) tosen
- (c) toso
Answer: tosen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of toser in the present tense is tosen.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ toda la noche con la gripe.” (Yesterday I coughed all night with the flu.)
- (a) tosiste
- (b) tosió
- (c) tosí
Answer: tosí — In the preterite, the yo form of toser is tosí.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ por el humo del tabaco.” (Before, he used to cough because of tobacco smoke.)
- (a) tosía
- (b) toso
- (c) tosías
Answer: tosía — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of toser is tosía.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ mucho en invierno.” (Tomorrow we will cough a lot in winter.)
- (a) toserás
- (b) toseremos
- (c) toseré
Answer: toseremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of toser is toseremos.
6. What does toser mean in English?
- (a) to cough
- (b) to supply
- (c) to sneeze
Answer: to cough — Toser means “to cough”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo tose toda la noche con la gripe.
- (b) Ellos tose por el humo del tabaco.
- (c) Yo toso toda la noche con la gripe.
Answer: Yo toso toda la noche con la gripe. — “Yo toso toda la noche con la gripe.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I cough all night with the flu.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre tose sin parar en clase.
- (b) Toso toda la noche con la gripe.
- (c) Tosen toda la noche con la gripe.
Answer: Toso toda la noche con la gripe. — “Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of toser in the present tense?
- (a) toso
- (b) toses
- (c) tosemos
Answer: tosemos — The nosotros form is tosemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros toseremos mucho en invierno.
- (b) Toso toda la noche con la gripe.
- (c) Ayer, yo tosí toda la noche con la gripe.
Answer: Toso toda la noche con la gripe. — “Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I cough all night with the flu' in Spanish?
Say 'Toso toda la noche con la gripe'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Toso toda la noche con la gripe todos los días'.
How do you say 'He coughs because of tobacco smoke' in Spanish?
Say 'Él tose por el humo del tabaco'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes tose.
What is the difference between toser and estornudar?
Toser means to cough, while estornudar means to sneeze. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use toser when you mean to cough, as in 'Toso toda la noche con la gripe', and use estornudar for to sneeze.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of toser — every tense of toser in one place.
- Toser in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on toser and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of toser until they are automatic.