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coser

ko-sehr/koˈseɾ/

“coser” means “to sew” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to sew

Also: to stitch, to mend
VerbA2regular er
A hand holding a silver needle with a blue thread, stitching two pieces of colorful fabric together.
gerundcosiendo
past Participlecosido
infinitivecoser

📝 In Action

Mi abuela me enseñó a coser un botón.

A2

My grandmother taught me how to sew a button.

Ella está cosiendo un vestido para la fiesta.

B1

She is sewing a dress for the party.

Tengo que coser este agujero en mis pantalones.

A2

I have to mend this hole in my pants.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • remendar (to mend/patch)
  • zurcir (to darn (socks))

Antonyms

  • descoser (to unsew/rip out stitches)

Common Collocations

  • máquina de coser – sewing machine
  • coser a mano – to sew by hand
  • coser un botón – to sew a button

Idioms & Expressions

  • Coser y cantar – Something that is very easy to do.

to suture

Also: to get stitches
VerbB2regular er
A medical professional's gloved hand carefully using a surgical needle to close a small cut on an arm.

📝 In Action

El cirujano tuvo que coser la herida con mucho cuidado.

B2

The surgeon had to suture the wound very carefully.

Me cosieron tres puntos en la rodilla.

B2

They gave me three stitches in my knee.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • suturar (to suture)

Common Collocations

  • coser una herida – to stitch a wound
  • dar puntos – to give stitches

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescosieran
yocosiera
túcosieras
vosotroscosierais
nosotroscosiéramos
él/ella/ustedcosiera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescosan
yocosa
túcosas
vosotroscosáis
nosotroscosamos
él/ella/ustedcosa

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedescosieron
yocosí
túcosiste
vosotroscosisteis
nosotroscosimos
él/ella/ustedcosió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedescosían
yocosía
túcosías
vosotroscosíais
nosotroscosíamos
él/ella/ustedcosía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedescosen
yocoso
túcoses
vosotroscoséis
nosotroscosemos
él/ella/ustedcose
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "coser" in Spanish:

to mend→to sew→to stitch→to suture→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: coser

Question 1 of 3

What does the idiom 'coser y cantar' mean?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
costura(sewing/seam) — Noun
costurera(seamstress) — Noun
descoser(to unsew) — Verb
cosido(sewn) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'consuere', which means 'to sew together'.

First recorded: 12th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: cucireFrench: coudrePortuguese: coser

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'coser' an irregular verb?

No, 'coser' is a completely regular -er verb. It follows the same pattern as 'comer'.

What is the difference between 'coser' and 'cocer'?

They are homophones (sound the same) in Latin America. 'Coser' means to sew fabric, while 'Cocer' means to cook or boil food.

Can 'coser' be used for medical stitches?

Yes! While 'suturar' is the formal word, 'coser' is very commonly used to talk about a doctor putting stitches in a wound.