cocer Present Conjugation
cocer — to boil
Cocer is a stem-changing verb (o to ue) with a spelling change in the 'yo' form (z instead of c).
cocer Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about what you are cooking right now or to give instructions for a recipe that happens habitually.
Notes on cocer in the Present
This verb follows the 'o-ue' stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros. Additionally, the 'yo' form changes 'c' to 'z' (cuezo) to keep the soft 's' sound before the 'o'.
Example Sentences
Yo siempre cuezo las verduras al vapor.
I always boil the vegetables with steam.
yo
¿Cuánto tiempo cuece la pasta?
How long does the pasta boil?
él/ella/usted
Ellos cuecen los huevos por diez minutos.
They boil the eggs for ten minutes.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: yo cueco
Correct: yo cuezo
Why: The 'c' must change to 'z' to maintain the soft 's' sound; 'cueco' would sound like a hard 'k'.
Mistake: nosotros cuecemos
Correct: nosotros cocemos
Why: The stem change (o-ue) never happens in the nosotros or vosotros forms.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: cocí
Cocer is regular in the preterite: cocí, cociste, coció, cocimos, cocisteis, cocieron.
Imperfect
yo: cocía
The imperfect of cocer is regular: cocía, cocías, cocía, cocíamos, cocíais, cocían.
Future
yo: coceré
The future of cocer is regular: coceré, cocerás, cocerá, coceremos, coceréis, cocerán.
Conditional
yo: cocería
The conditional of cocer is regular: cocería, cocerías, cocería, coceríamos, coceríais, cocerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cueza
The present subjunctive follows the 'yo' form change: cueza, cuezas, cueza, cozamos, cozáis, cuezan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cociera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the preterite stem: cociera, cocieras, cociera, cociéramos, cocierais, cocieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cuece
The imperative uses 'cuece' for tú and 'cueza/n' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cuezas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no cuezas, no cueza, no cozamos, no cozáis, no cuezan.