cobrar Present Conjugation
cobrar — to charge (a price)
The present tense of cobrar (cobro, cobras, cobra, etc.) describes habitual actions, current actions, or general truths.
cobrar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense for actions happening right now, habitual activities ('I charge for my services every day'), or general truths ('This machine charges by the minute').
Notes on cobrar in the Present
Cobrar is regular in the present indicative. All forms follow the standard conjugation for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
Yo cobro por mi tiempo.
I charge for my time.
yo
¿Tú cobras por arreglar zapatos?
Do you charge for fixing shoes?
tú
El cajero cobra automáticamente.
The cashier charges automatically.
él/ella/usted
Nosotros cobramos una tarifa fija.
We charge a fixed fee.
nosotros
Ellos cobran por hora.
They charge by the hour.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the present tense for a specific, completed past action.
Correct: For completed past actions, use the preterite: 'Ayer cobré mi pago' (Yesterday I collected my payment).
Why: The present tense is for ongoing or habitual actions, not single completed events in the past.
Mistake: Incorrectly conjugating the nosotros form: 'cobramos' vs 'cobramos'.
Correct: The nosotros form is 'cobramos', same as the preterite. Context usually clarifies.
Why: This is a common point of confusion as the present and preterite nosotros forms are identical for regular -ar verbs.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: cobré
The preterite of cobrar (cobré, cobraste, cobró, etc.) is used for completed actions in the past, like charging a specific amount at a specific time.
Imperfect
yo: cobraba
The imperfect tense of cobrar (cobraba, cobrabas, etc.) describes ongoing or habitual past actions, or sets the background scene.
Future
yo: cobraré
The future tense of cobrar (cobraré, cobrarás, cobrará, etc.) indicates actions that will happen or expresses probability.
Conditional
yo: cobraría
The conditional tense of cobrar (cobraría, cobrarías, etc.) expresses 'would' actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cobre
The present subjunctive of cobrar (cobre, cobres, cobre, cobremos, cobréis, cobren) is used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, or uncertainty.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cobrara
The imperfect subjunctive of cobrar (e.g., cobrara, cobrara, cobráramos) is used for past hypotheticals, wishes, or polite requests.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cobra
Cobrar's imperative forms give direct commands: cobra (tú), cobre (usted), cobremos (nosotros), cobren (ustedes), cobrad (vosotros).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cobres
Negative commands for 'cobrar' use the present subjunctive: no cobres (tú), no cobre (usted), no cobremos (nosotros), no cobren (ustedes), no cobréis (vosotros).