How to conjugate Tocar in Spanish
To play (an instrument), to touch Irregular Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Tocar
- Tocar in the Indicative Present
- Tocar in the Indicative Preterite
- Tocar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Tocar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Tocar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Tocar in the Indicative Future
- Tocar in the Indicative Conditional
- Tocar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Tocar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Tocar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Tocar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Tocar
- Imperative tenses of Tocar
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Tocar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Tocar is the Spanish verb for "to play (an instrument), to touch". It is an irregular verb, and one of the most popular 100 Spanish verbs. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to tocar include: conmover.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | tocar | to play (an instrument), to touch |
| Past participle | tocado | played |
| Gerund | tocando | playing |
Indicative Tenses of Tocar
Tocar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of tocar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "toco la guitarra", meaning "I play the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | toco | I play |
| Tú | tocas | you play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | toca | s/he plays, you (formal) play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocamos | we play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocáis | you (plural) play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocan | they play, you (plural formal) play |
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Tocar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of tocar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "toqué la guitarra", meaning "I played the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | toqué | I played |
| Tú | tocaste | you played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocó | s/he played, you (formal) played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocamos | we played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocasteis | you (plural) played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocaron | they played, you (plural formal) played |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Tocar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of tocar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "tocaba la guitarra", meaning "I used to play the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tocaba | I used to play |
| Tú | tocabas | you used to play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocaba | s/he used to play, you (formal) used to play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocábamos | we used to play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocabais | you (plural) used to play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocaban | they used to play, you (plural formal) used to play |
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Tocar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of tocar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy tocando la guitarra", meaning "I am playing the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy tocando | I am playing |
| Tú | estás tocando | you are playing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está tocando | s/he is playing, you (formal) are playing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos tocando | we are playing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis tocando | you (plural) are playing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están tocando | they are playing, you (plural formal) are playing |
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Tocar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of tocar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a tocar la guitarra", meaning "I am going to play the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a tocar | I am going to play |
| Tú | vas a tocar | you are going to play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a tocar | s/he is going to play, you (formal) are going to play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a tocar | we are going to play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a tocar | you (plural) are going to play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a tocar | they are going to play, you (plural formal) are going to play |
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Tocar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of tocar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "tocaré la guitarra", meaning "I will play the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tocaré | I will play |
| Tú | tocarás | you will play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocará | s/he will play, you (formal) will play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocaremos | we will play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocaréis | you (plural) will play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocarán | they will play, you (plural formal) will play |
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Tocar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of tocar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "tocaría la guitarra", meaning "I would play the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tocaría | I would play |
| Tú | tocarías | you would play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocaría | s/he would play, you (formal) would play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocaríamos | we would play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocaríais | you (plural) would play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocarían | they would play, you (plural formal) would play |
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Tocar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of tocar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he tocado la guitarra", meaning "I have played the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he tocado | I have played |
| Tú | has tocado | you have played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha tocado | s/he has played, you (formal) have played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos tocado | we have played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis tocado | you (plural) have played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han tocado | they have played, you (plural formal) have played |
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Tocar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of tocar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había tocado la guitarra", meaning "I had played the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había tocado | I had played |
| Tú | habías tocado | you had played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había tocado | s/he had played, you (formal) had played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos tocado | we had played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais tocado | you (plural) had played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían tocado | they had played, you (plural formal) had played |
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Tocar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of tocar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré tocado la guitarra", meaning "I will have played the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré tocado | I will have played |
| Tú | habrás tocado | you will have played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá tocado | s/he will have played, you (formal) will have played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos tocado | we will have played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis tocado | you (plural) will have played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán tocado | they will have played, you (plural formal) will have played |
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Tocar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of tocar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría tocado la guitarra", meaning "I would have played the guitar".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría tocado | I would have played |
| Tú | habrías tocado | you would have played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría tocado | s/he would have played, you (formal) would have played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos tocado | we would have played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais tocado | you (plural) would have played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían tocado | they would have played, you (plural formal) would have played |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Tocar
Tocar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "toque", meaning "I play".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | toque | I play |
| Tú | toques | you play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | toque | s/he plays, you (formal) play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | toquemos | we play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | toquéis | you (plural) play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | toquen | they play, you (plural formal) play |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Tocar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "tocara", meaning "I played".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tocara | I played |
| Tú | tocaras | you played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocara | s/he played, you (formal) played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocáramos | we played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocarais | you (plural) played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocaran | they played, you (plural formal) played |
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Tocar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "tocare", meaning "I will play".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tocare | I will play |
| Tú | tocares | you will play |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tocare | s/he will play, you (formal) will play |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tocáremos | we will play |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocareis | you (plural) will play |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tocaren | they will play, you (plural formal) will play |
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Tocar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya tocado", meaning "I have played".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya tocado | I have played |
| Tú | hayas tocado | you have played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya tocado | s/he has played, you (formal) have played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos tocado | we have played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis tocado | you (plural) have played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan tocado | they have played, you (plural formal) have played |
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Tocar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera tocado", meaning "I had played".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera tocado | I had played |
| Tú | hubieras tocado | you had played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera tocado | s/he had played, you (formal) had played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos tocado | we had played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais tocado | you (plural) had played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran tocado | they had played, you (plural formal) had played |
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Tocar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere tocado", meaning "I will have played".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere tocado | I will have played |
| Tú | hubieres tocado | you will have played |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere tocado | s/he will have played, you (formal) will have played |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos tocado | we will have played |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis tocado | you (plural) will have played |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren tocado | they will have played, you (plural formal) will have played |
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Imperative Tenses of Tocar
Tocar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "toque", meaning "(to you formal) play!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | toca | (to you) play! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | toque | (to you formal) play! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | toquemos | let's play! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tocad | (to you plural) play! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | toquen | (to you plural formal) play! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Tocar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no toque", meaning "(to you formal) don't play!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no toques | (to you) don't play! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no toque | (to you formal) don't play! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no toquemos | let's not play! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no toquéis | (to you plural) don't play! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no toquen | (to you plural formal) don't play! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Tocar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practice Tocar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Tolerar – to tolerate or see the complete list of verbs here.
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Tocar: to play (an instrument), to touch
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