Learn coger conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto step by step with detailed explanations

Image of coger conjugation in Pretérito Imperfecto

coger means: to catch, to clutch, to fetch, to fuck, to get, to grapple, to pick, to pick up, to seize, to take

In this lesson we are going to learn how to conjugate the verb coger in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create the following conjugation:

yo	cogía	I caught
tú	cogías	you caught
él/ella/usted	cogía	he/she/it caught
nosotros/nosotras	cogíamos	we caught
vosotros/vosotras	cogíais	you caught
ellos/ellas/ustedes	cogían	they caught

This lesson is specifically about the coger verb conjugation. For a general overview of Simple Tenses conjugation see our Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

You may also see this Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito Imperfecto. It’s embedded on the right, but using the above link you will get additional information on conjugation in this tense as well as explanation of special cases and exceptions.

How to translate Pretérito Imperfecto to English

Note that the English phrases in the third column of the above conjugation chart are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

In Spanish, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Note the timeline

The ability to properly locate the desired position on the timeline is an important skill for the right choice of tenses. So note the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while speaking, listening, writing and reading. After some practice you will be capable of selecting the right tense to use much easier. timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

timeline preterito imperfecto how to conjugate spanish verbs

Step by step instructions

Pretérito Imperfecto belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of its inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each inflected verb form consists of two words.

The verb coger has a completely regular conjugation in the Pretérito Imperfecto tense of the Indicativo mood. It means that this verb just follows the basic rules for its group (-er) without exceptions. This tense is really easy, because there are only three exceptions!

The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we start by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s very easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem.

So in case of our verb:

the stem is: cog-
and the ending is: -er

Use the stem cog- in each person as the basis for the conjugations, the common prefix that each of the forms begins with.

endings preterito imperfecto er how to conjugate spanish verbs

Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. Analyze the image showing all six endings. Note both the shapes and colors of the letters. It should help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.

Also notice that in verb groups -er and -ir all the endings in both Pretéterito Imperfecto and Condicional tenses are identical. Good tip to remember. The only difference is that the Condicional uses the entire infinitive as the stem.

Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir.

Add the regular ending -ía for the first person singular to create cogía:

yo cogía

Similarly add the regular ending -ías for the second person singular to create cogías:

tú cogías

And one more time add the regular ending -ía for the third person singular to create cogía:

él cogía
ella cogía
usted cogía

And similarly add the regular ending -íamos for the first person plural to create cogíamos:

nosotros cogíamos
nosotras cogíamos

Again add the regular ending -íais for the second person plural to create cogíais:

vosotros cogíais
vosotras cogíais

As before add the regular ending -ían for the third person plural to create cogían:

ellos cogían
ellas cogían
ustedes cogían

This is it! The conjugation is now done. But don’t end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for suggestions.

Next Steps

To practice this conjugation and test yourself check this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game
To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense:
For exercises and examples related to coger visit our Exercise section
To see conjugation charts in all tenses for coger visit the Conjugator
To explore other learning materials visit the Study section