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Conjugation Chart

“Coger” (to take) in the Present Tense

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Understanding the Present Tense of “Coger”

The Present Tense of Coger is used to describe actions happening at the present moment. For example, Cojo la manzana. (I take the apple.)

Coger is a spelling-changing verb that follows the -ger to -ja conjugation pattern in the present tense. The g changes to a j before the vowels a and o.

How to Use Coger in the Present Tense

Coger generally means to take, grab, or catch something, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To take or grab: for example, Yo cojo la manzana (I take the apple).

To catch: for example, Ella coge el autobús (She catches the bus).

To pick up: for example, Ellos cogen las llaves (They pick up the keys).

Colloquial usage (rude): in some regions, coger is used vulgarly to mean “to have sex”, for example, Él coge a su novia (He has sex with his girlfriend). This usage is considered very rude and offensive.

Real Life Examples of Coger in the Present Tense

Yo cojo el autobús para ir al trabajo. (I take the bus to go to work.)

Ella coge un taxi cuando está retrasada. (She takes a taxi when she’s running late.)

¿Tú coges el tren o prefieres viajar en auto? (Do you take the train or do you prefer to travel by car?)

Nosotros cogemos un vuelo temprano para llegar a tiempo a la reunión. (We take an early flight to arrive on time for the meeting.)

Ellos cogen un Uber cuando salen de fiesta. (They take an Uber when they go out partying.)

En la oficina, cogemos un descanso cada dos horas. (At the office, we take a break every two hours.)

Mis amigos y yo cogemos un café juntos los domingos. (My friends and I get coffee together on Sundays.)

¿Coges el periódico todas las mañanas? (Do you get the newspaper every morning?)

Ella coge clases de baile los martes por la noche. (She takes dance classes on Tuesday nights.)

Nosotros cogemos un descanso de las redes sociales de vez en cuando. (We take a break from social media every now and then.)

Ellos cogen un atajo para llegar más rápido. (They take a shortcut to get there faster.)

Yo cojo un libro para leer en el parque. (I grab a book to read in the park.)

¿Tú coges notas durante las conferencias? (Do you take notes during lectures?)

Nosotros cogemos un respiro después de un día agitado. (We take a breather after a hectic day.)

Ellos cogen un descanso de las noticias de vez en cuando. (They take a break from the news every now and then.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Coger (to take) in the Present Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.