The Subjunctive Mood of Coger is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty, for example: Espero que cojas el autobús a tiempo. (I hope you catch the bus on time.)

Coger is a spelling-changing verb that follows the -ger to -ja conjugation pattern in the Present Subjunctive. This means the g changes to j before the verb endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Coger (to take) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of coger is used to express wishes, desires, doubts, or uncertainty about an action or event.

To take or grab: This is the most common meaning. For example, Espero que cojas el autobús a tiempo (I hope you catch the bus on time).

To catch (an illness): For example, Temo que coja un resfriado (I’m afraid I’ll catch a cold).

To pick up or collect: For example, Es importante que cojas tus maletas del aeropuerto (It’s important that you pick up your luggage from the airport).

Slang/Vulgar: To have sex: This meaning is considered vulgar and should be avoided in formal contexts. For example, Espero que no cojan en mi cama (I hope they don’t have sex in my bed).

Idiomatic: Coger un atajo: To take a shortcut. For example, Ojalá que cojas un atajo para llegar más rápido (I hope you take a shortcut to get there faster).

Examples

Examples of Coger in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que cojamos el autobús a tiempo para llegar a la fiesta. (I hope we catch the bus in time to get to the party.)

No cojas esa rama, podría estar podrida. (Don’t grab that branch, it could be rotten.)

Ojalá cojamos el último tren para llegar a casa a tiempo. (I hope we catch the last train to get home on time.)

Es importante que cojan apuntes detallados durante la conferencia. (It’s important that you take detailed notes during the conference.)

Aunque coja un atajo, llegaré tarde al trabajo. (Even if I take a shortcut, I’ll be late for work.)

¿Quieres que coja un taxi o prefieres caminar? (Do you want me to catch a taxi or would you prefer to walk?)

Espero que los niños no cojan demasiados dulces en la fiesta. (I hope the kids don’t take too much candy at the party.)

Sería bueno que cogieras un curso de cocina para aprender nuevas recetas. (It would be good if you took a cooking class to learn new recipes.)

Aunque cojamos el camino más largo, disfrutaremos de las vistas. (Even if we take the longer path, we’ll enjoy the views.)

Es importante que cojan precauciones al viajar al extranjero. (It’s important that you take precautions when traveling abroad.)

Ojalá coja el hábito de hacer ejercicio regularmente. (I hope you get into the habit of exercising regularly.)

Sería bueno que cojan un curso de primeros auxilios por si acaso. (It would be good if you took a first aid course just in case.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Coger (to take) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.