Tocar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Tocar (to touch, to play an instrument, to ring/sound, to be one's turn) is a very common Spanish verb and it is regular: it follows the -ar pattern. Its only quirk is the spelling change c→qu before e (toqué, toque), which just keeps the /k/ sound.

Indicative Tenses of Tocar

Tocar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Toco el piano todos los días (I play the piano every day).

Present tense rules →

Tocar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer toqué la guitarra en la fiesta (Yesterday I played the guitar at the party).

Preterite rules →

Tocar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he tocado tres canciones nuevas (Today I have played three new songs).

Present perfect rules →

Tocar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño tocaba el violín en la orquesta (As a child I used to play the violin in the orchestra).

Imperfect rules →

Tocar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya habían tocado el himno (When I arrived, they had already played the anthem).

Past perfect rules →

Tocar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana tocaré en el concierto (Tomorrow I will play at the concert).

Future tense rules →

Tocar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para las ocho ya habremos tocado todo el repertorio (By eight we will have played the whole repertoire).

Future perfect rules →

Tocar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar tocaría algo más alegre (If I were you, I would play something more cheerful).

Conditional rules →

Tocar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría tocado en la boda, pero estaba enfermo (I would have played at the wedding, but I was sick).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Tocar

Present Subjunctive of Tocar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que toques esa pieza otra vez (I want you to play that piece again).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Tocar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas tocado bien en la audición (I hope you played well at the audition).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Tocar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si tocaras el saxofón, formaríamos una banda (If you played the saxophone, we would form a band).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Tocar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras tocado antes, te habrían contratado (If you had played earlier, they would have hired you).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Tocar

Affirmative Commands of Tocar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Toca algo bonito, por favor! (Play something nice, please!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Tocar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No toques eso, está caliente (Don't touch that, it's hot).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Tocar

• Tocar el piano / la guitarra - to play the piano / the guitar
• Tocar madera - to knock on wood (to ward off bad luck)
• Me toca a mí - it's my turn
• Tocar fondo - to hit rock bottom
• Tocar la fibra - to strike a chord, to move someone deeply