toques

/TOH-kehs/

touches

Close-up view of three human fingertips gently making contact with a brightly colored, textured fabric or blanket, illustrating multiple points of contact.

As a noun, 'toques' means 'touches' or 'taps,' referring to physical contact.

toques(noun)

mB1

touches

physical contact

knocks

sound of rapping

Also:

flair

artistic or stylish detail

notes

musical tones (less common)

📝 In Action

Necesita unos toques de sal para mejorar el sabor.

It needs a few touches of salt to improve the flavor.

Escuché unos toques en la ventana y me asusté.

I heard some knocks on the window and got scared.

La pintura tiene unos toques impresionistas muy bonitos.

The painting has some very beautiful Impressionistic touches (flair).

Word Connections

Synonyms

golpes (blows/hits (stronger))
detalles (details)

Common Collocations

dar los últimos toques – to give the finishing touches
con toques de humor – with touches of humor

💡 Grammar Points

Plural of 'toque'

This is the plural form of the masculine noun 'el toque'. It means more than one 'touch' or 'knock'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Curfew Usage

When talking about a military or government curfew, you almost always use the fixed phrase 'toque de queda' (literally 'touch of staying'), so 'toques' often appears in this context.

A small hand reaching forward with one finger extended to gently press onto a large, smooth, bright yellow flower petal, emphasizing the action of touching.

The verb form 'toques' (present subjunctive, tú form) translates to 'that you touch,' describing a desired or requested action.

toques(verb)

A2regular stem-changing for spelling ar

that you touch

present subjunctive, tú form

that you play (an instrument)

present subjunctive, tú form

Also:

don't touch

negative command, tú form

that you knock

present subjunctive, tú form

📝 In Action

Mi madre insiste en que toques el piano todos los días.

My mother insists that you play the piano every day.

¡No toques las flores! Son muy delicadas.

Don't touch the flowers! They are very delicate.

¿Crees que toques la lotería algún día?

Do you think you might win the lottery one day? (Figurative use of 'tocar')

Word Connections

Synonyms

palpar (to feel/to touch gently)
sonar (to sound/ring)

Antonyms

soltar (to let go)

Common Collocations

que toques un instrumento – that you play an instrument

💡 Grammar Points

Spelling Change Rule

The verb 'tocar' needs a 'qu' instead of a 'c' before 'e' to keep the hard 'k' sound. That's why the subjunctive form is 'toques' (not 'toces').

Subjunctive Use

Use 'toques' (present subjunctive) after expressions showing desire, emotion, doubt, or necessity involving the pronoun 'tú' (e.g., 'Quiero que toques...' / 'I want you to touch...').

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the 'qu'

Mistake: "Espero que toces la guitarra."

Correction: Espero que toques la guitarra. (Always use 'qu' before 'e' with 'ar' verbs ending in -car.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Negative Commands

The simplest use of 'toques' is in negative commands to 'tú': 'No toques eso' (Don't touch that). This is essential for A1 learners!

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedtoca

yotoco

tútocas

ellos/ellas/ustedestocan

nosotrostocamos

vosotrostocáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedtocaba

yotocaba

tútocabas

ellos/ellas/ustedestocaban

nosotrostocábamos

vosotrostocabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedtocó

yotoqué

tútocaste

ellos/ellas/ustedestocaron

nosotrostocamos

vosotrostocasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedtoque

yotoque

tútoques

ellos/ellas/ustedestoquen

nosotrostoquemos

vosotrostoquéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedtocara

yotocara

tútocaras

ellos/ellas/ustedestocaran

nosotrostocáramos

vosotrostocarais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: toques

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'toques' as a noun (meaning 'touches' or 'flair')?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

toque(touch/knock (singular)) - noun

tocar(to touch/to play) - verb

tocador(dressing table/player (music)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the verb form spelled with 'qu' instead of 'c'?

The verb 'tocar' needs to keep its hard 'k' sound. In Spanish, a 'c' before an 'e' or 'i' changes the sound to an 's' or 'th' sound. By changing the 'c' to 'qu' before the 'e' in 'toques', the original hard 'k' sound is maintained.

Is 'toques' the same as 'toque de queda'?

No, 'toques' is the plural of the noun 'toque'. 'Toque de queda' (curfew) is a specific, fixed phrase. However, sometimes people shorten it and say 'hay toques' (there are curfews) to refer to the curfew situation.