Toser Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb toser means to cough, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, toser changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say toso toda la noche con la gripe, and in the preterite you say tosí mucho en invierno. 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: toser
  • English: to cough
  • Verb type: regular -er verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: tosiendo
  • Past participle: tosido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + tosido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for toser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Toser is regular: tosí, tosía, toseré.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for toser. 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.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo toso
tú toses
él/ella/Ud. tose
nosotros/as tosemos
vosotros/as toséis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosen

Preterite

Person Form
yo tosí
tú tosiste
él/ella/Ud. tosió
nosotros/as tosimos
vosotros/as tosisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo tosía
tú tosías
él/ella/Ud. tosía
nosotros/as tosíamos
vosotros/as tosíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosían

Future

Person Form
yo toseré
tú toserás
él/ella/Ud. toserá
nosotros/as toseremos
vosotros/as toseréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. toserán

Conditional

Person Form
yo tosería
tú toserías
él/ella/Ud. tosería
nosotros/as toseríamos
vosotros/as toseríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. toserían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he tosido
tú has tosido
él/ella/Ud. ha tosido
nosotros/as hemos tosido
vosotros/as habéis tosido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han tosido

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había tosido
tú habías tosido
él/ella/Ud. había tosido
nosotros/as habíamos tosido
vosotros/as habíais tosido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían tosido

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré tosido
tú habrás tosido
él/ella/Ud. habrá tosido
nosotros/as habremos tosido
vosotros/as habréis tosido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán tosido

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría tosido
tú habrías tosido
él/ella/Ud. habría tosido
nosotros/as habríamos tosido
vosotros/as habríais tosido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían tosido

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo tosa
tú tosas
él/ella/Ud. tosa
nosotros/as tosamos
vosotros/as tosáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo tosiera
tú tosieras
él/ella/Ud. tosiera
nosotros/as tosiéramos
vosotros/as tosierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú tose
él/ella/Ud. tosa
nosotros/as tosamos
vosotros/as tosed
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú tosas
él/ella/Ud. tosa
nosotros/as tosamos
vosotros/as tosáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tosan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund tosiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy tosiendo
Past participle tosido with haber for the perfect tenses: he tosido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Toso toda la noche con la gripe. Learn the present 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 with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, tosí por el humo del tabaco. 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 de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, tosía mucho en invierno. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, toseré sin parar en clase. 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 with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Tosería toda la noche con la gripe si pudiera. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he tosido por el humo del tabaco. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había tosido mucho en invierno antes de salir. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré tosido sin parar en clase. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría tosido toda la noche con la gripe con más tiempo. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tosa por el humo del tabaco. 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 this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él tosiera mucho en invierno, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Tose sin parar en clase! Learn the affirmative imperative 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For toser, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No tosas toda la noche con la gripe. Learn the negative imperative 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 toser, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Toso toda la noche con la gripe. — I cough all night with the flu.
  2. Tose por el humo del tabaco. — He/she coughs because of tobacco smoke.
  3. Ayer, tosí mucho en invierno. — Yesterday, I coughed a lot in winter.
  4. Antes, nosotros tosíamos sin parar en clase. — Before, we used to cough without stopping in class.
  5. Mañana, tú toserás toda la noche con la gripe. — Tomorrow, you will cough all night with the flu.
  6. Yo tosería por el humo del tabaco si tuviera más tiempo. — I would cough because of tobacco smoke if I had more time.
  7. Él ha tosido mucho en invierno. — He has coughed a lot in winter.
  8. Espero que él tosa sin parar en clase. — I hope he coughs without stopping in class.
  9. Yo ya había tosido toda la noche con la gripe antes de salir. — I had already coughed all night with the flu before leaving.
  10. Ellos tosían por el humo del tabaco cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to cough because of tobacco smoke when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo tose toda la noche con la gripe. — Right: Yo toso toda la noche con la gripe. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo toso por el humo del tabaco. — Right: Ayer yo tosí por el humo del tabaco. — 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.
  3. Wrong: Treating toser and estornudar as identical in every context. — Right: Toser means to cough, while estornudar means to sneeze. — 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy tosido por el humo del tabaco. — Right: Yo he tosido por el humo del tabaco. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tosido, has tosido, ha tosido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo tosí mucho en invierno todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo tosía mucho en invierno todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tosía), not the preterite. The preterite (tosí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on toser. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche con la gripe. (present tense) A. toso B. toses C. tose D. tosemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ por el humo del tabaco. (preterite) A. tosí B. tosiste C. tosimos D. tosió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ mucho en invierno. (imperfect) A. tosías B. toso C. tosíamos D. tosía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ sin parar en clase. (future) A. toseremos B. toserás C. toseré D. toserá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ toda la noche con la gripe si pudiera. (conditional) A. tosería B. toserías C. toseríamos D. toso

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por el humo del tabaco. (present subjunctive) A. tosas B. tosamos C. toso D. tosa

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ mucho en invierno, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. tosiéramos B. toso C. tosiera D. tosieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ sin parar en clase. (present perfect) A. ha tosido B. hemos tosido C. he tosido D. has tosido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ toda la noche con la gripe! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. tose B. tosa C. tosamos D. tosed

  10. Which is the gerund of toser, used with estar for the progressive? A. tosido B. toso C. tosí D. tosiendo

Answer key

  1. toso — The yo present tense of toser is toso.
  2. tosió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of toser is tosió.
  3. tosíamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of toser is tosíamos.
  4. toserás — The tú future of toser is toserás.
  5. tosería — The yo conditional of toser is tosería.
  6. tosa — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of toser is tosa.
  7. tosiera — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of toser is tosiera.
  8. hemos tosido — The nosotros/as present perfect of toser is hemos tosido.
  9. tose — The affirmative tú imperative of toser is tose.
  10. tosiendo — The gerund of toser is tosiendo: estoy tosiendo. The participle tosido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does toser mean in English?

Toser means to cough. It is used in everyday situations such as Toso toda la noche con la gripe. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is toser regular or irregular?

Toser is a fully regular -er verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including toso in the present and tosí in the preterite.

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. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I cough” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo tosí por el humo del tabaco. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo tosía mucho en invierno. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he tosido por el humo del tabaco.

How do I practise toser?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the toser examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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