Toser Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of toser — “to cough” 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 toser 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Toso toda la noche con la gripe. — “I cough all night with the flu.”
Present tense conjugation table: toser
Every person of toser in the present tense. The gerund is tosiendo and the past participle is tosido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | toso |
| tú | toses |
| él/ella/Ud. | tose |
| nosotros/as | tosemos |
| vosotros/as | toséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | tosen |
The gerund is tosiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy tosiendo” means the action of toser is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is tosido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he tosido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how toser is used.
How the present of toser is formed
The present of toser is built from the stem tos plus the present endings for -er verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -er 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 | toso |
| tú | -es | toses |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | tose |
| nosotros/as | -emos | tosemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | toséis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | tosen |
toser is a regular -er verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is tos and the endings are the normal -er endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.
The gerund of toser is tosiendo and the past participle is tosido. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of toser
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use toser in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. A routine or habit
The present tense of toser is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and toser is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — I cough all night with the flu.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what toser means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.
Example: “Tose por el humo del tabaco.” — He/she coughs because of tobacco smoke.
3. Something happening right now
The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.
Example: “Toso mucho en invierno.” — I cough a lot in winter.
4. A plan or arrangement
Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and toser follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros tosemos sin parar en clase.” — Tomorrow, we cough without stopping in class.
5. Asking and answering questions
Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.
Example: “¿Toses por el humo del tabaco?” — Do you cough because of tobacco smoke?
The present vs the preterite: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.
Present: “Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — I cough all night with the flu.
Preterite: “Tosí toda la noche con la gripe.” — I coughed all night with the flu.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Tose por el humo del tabaco.” — He/she coughs because of tobacco smoke.
Preterite: “Tosió por el humo del tabaco.” — He/she coughed because of tobacco smoke.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Tosemos mucho en invierno.” — We cough a lot in winter.
Preterite: “Tosimos mucho en invierno.” — We coughed a lot in winter.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: toser in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Toso toda la noche con la gripe.” — I cough all night with the flu.
“Toses por el humo del tabaco.” — You cough because of tobacco smoke.
“Tose mucho en invierno.” — He/she coughs a lot in winter.
“Tosemos sin parar en clase.” — We cough without stopping in class.
“Toséis toda la noche con la gripe.” — You cough all night with the flu.
“Tosen por el humo del tabaco.” — They cough because of tobacco smoke.
“Toso mucho en invierno.” — I cough a lot in winter.
“Tose sin parar en clase.” — He/she coughs without stopping in class.
Common mistakes with toser in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: Yo needs the yo form toso. The form tose belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo toser por el humo del tabaco.” Right: “Yo toso por el humo del tabaco.” Why: The infinitive toser cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving toso.
Wrong: “Ayer yo toso por el humo del tabaco.” Right: “Ayer yo tosí por el humo del tabaco.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to tosí.
Wrong: “Ellos tose por el humo del tabaco.” Right: “Ellos tosen por el humo del tabaco.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form tosen. The singular tose belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: toser in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ toda la noche con la gripe.”
- (a) toso
- (b) toses
- (c) tose
Answer: toso — The yo form of toser in the present is toso.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ por el humo del tabaco.”
- (a) toso
- (b) tose
- (c) toses
Answer: toses — The tú form of toser in the present is toses.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ mucho en invierno.”
- (a) toses
- (b) tose
- (c) toso
Answer: tose — The él/ella form of toser in the present is tose.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ sin parar en clase.”
- (a) tosemos
- (b) toso
- (c) toses
Answer: tosemos — The nosotros/as form of toser in the present is tosemos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ toda la noche con la gripe.”
- (a) toso
- (b) toses
- (c) toséis
Answer: toséis — The vosotros/as form of toser in the present is toséis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ por el humo del tabaco.”
- (a) toses
- (b) tosen
- (c) toso
Answer: tosen — The ellos/ellas form of toser in the present is tosen.
7. What does toser mean in English?
- (a) to cough
- (b) to sneeze
- (c) to be about
Answer: to cough — Toser means to cough.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Tosí toda la noche con la gripe.
- (b) Toseré toda la noche con la gripe.
- (c) Toso 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. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is toser regular in the present?
Yes. Toser is regular in the present: toso, toses, tose, tosemos, toséis and tosen. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.
What is the gerund and the past participle of toser?
The gerund is tosiendo, used with estar for the progressive: estoy tosiendo. The past participle is tosido, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he tosido.
What should I watch out for with toser?
Toser is regular: tosí, tosía, toseré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is toso, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise toser in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the toser examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of toser — every tense of toser in one place.
- Toser examples and quiz — more sentences with toser and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on toser and other verbs.