coger Present Subjunctive Conjugation
coger — to take
The present subjunctive of coger uses 'j' in all forms: coja, cojas, coja, cojamos, cojáis, cojan.
coger Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this after expressions of desire, doubt, or necessity (e.g., 'I want you to take...').
Notes on coger in the Present Subjunctive
Because the subjunctive endings for -er verbs start with 'a', the 'g' from 'coger' must change to 'j' in every single form to maintain the correct pronunciation.
Example Sentences
Quiero que cojas el paraguas.
I want you to take the umbrella.
tú
Espero que ellos cojan el mensaje.
I hope they get (take) the message.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Es mejor que cojamos un mapa.
It is better that we take a map.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Spelling it with a 'g' (e.g., 'coga').
Correct: Use 'j' for all present subjunctive forms: coja, cojas, etc.
Why: In Spanish, 'ga' is a hard 'g' sound (like 'gap'). To keep the 'h' sound of coger, it must be 'ja'.
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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.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: cogiera
The imperfect subjunctive of coger is regular based on the preterite: cogiera, cogieras, cogiera, cogiéramos, cogierais, cogieran.
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.