How to Say "to cough" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to cough” is “toser” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Tengo que toser porque hay mucho humo aquí.
I have to cough because there is a lot of smoke here.
El niño empezó a toser muy fuerte durante la noche.
The boy started to cough very loudly during the night.
Si vas a toser, por favor cúbrete la boca con el codo.
If you are going to cough, please cover your mouth with your elbow.
Toser is a Regular -ER Verb
Good news! Toser follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er, just like 'comer.' You don't have to worry about any weird spelling changes in the stem.
Verb vs. Noun
To say 'a cough' (the noun), use 'la tos.' To describe the action, use 'toser.' For example: 'Tengo tos' (I have a cough) vs 'No puedo parar de toser' (I can't stop coughing).
The 'Toss' Confusion
Mistake: “I want to toss the ball: Quiero toser la pelota.”
Correction: Quiero lanzar la pelota. 'Toser' sounds like the English 'toss,' but it only means to cough!
Related Translations
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