coger Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
coger — to take
The imperfect subjunctive of coger is regular based on the preterite: cogiera, cogieras, cogiera, cogiéramos, cogierais, cogieran.
coger Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for hypothetical 'if' situations or past requests (e.g., 'If I took the bus...', 'He asked me to take...').
Notes on coger in the Imperfect Subjunctive
This tense is formed from the third-person plural preterite (cogieron). Since the endings start with 'ie', the 'g' is kept.
Example Sentences
Si yo cogiera ese avión, llegaría mañana.
If I took that plane, I would arrive tomorrow.
yo
Me pidió que cogiera las llaves.
He asked me to take the keys.
él/ella/usted
Si cogiéramos el tren, sería más barato.
If we took the train, it would be cheaper.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using a 'j' (e.g., 'cojiera').
Correct: Use 'g': cogiera.
Why: The spelling change to 'j' only happens before 'a' or 'o'. Before 'ie', 'g' already makes the correct sound.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cojo
Coger is irregular in the 'yo' form (cojo) but regular for all other persons.
Preterite
yo: cogí
The preterite of coger is regular: cogí, cogiste, cogió, cogimos, cogisteis, cogieron.
Imperfect
yo: cogía
The imperfect of coger is regular: cogía, cogías, cogía, cogíamos, cogíais, cogían.
Future
yo: cogeré
The future tense of coger is regular: cogeré, cogerás, cogerá, cogeremos, cogeréis, cogerán.
Conditional
yo: cogería
The conditional of coger is regular: cogería, cogerías, cogería, cogeríamos, cogeríais, cogerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: coja
The present subjunctive of coger uses 'j' in all forms: coja, cojas, coja, cojamos, cojáis, cojan.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: coge
The imperative of coger uses 'g' for 'tú' (coge) and 'j' for 'usted' (coja).
Negative Imperative
yo: no cojas
The negative imperative of coger always uses 'j': no cojas, no coja, no cojamos, no cojáis, no cojan.