tocó

Tocó is a Spanish verb form that serves as the third-person singular preterite (pretérito perfecto simple) of tocar. The base verb tocar means to touch, to play (an instrument), or to strike, among other senses. Tocó is used to describe a completed action in the past, such as touching something, playing an instrument, or knocking on a door.

Grammatical notes and usage. Tocó appears in sentences like “Ella tocó el piano durante la gala” (she played the piano) or “Él tocó la campana” (he rang the bell). It can also mean touching in a physical sense, as in “Tocó la herida para ver si dolía.” In idiomatic expressions, tocó forms part of phrases such as “me tocó” to indicate it was one’s turn or that one had the obligation to do something, for example “A mí me tocó escribir el informe” (I had to write the report / it was my turn to write).

Conjugation overview. Tocó is the simple past form for él/ella/usted. Related forms in the same tense include: yo toco, tú tocas, nosotros tocamos, vosotros tocáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tocaron. The accent on the first ‘o’ in tocó ensures the correct stress in this irregular preterite form.

Etymology and related terms. Tocó derives from the Spanish verb tocar, which comes from Latin tangere. The word forms a family with other senses such as tocar la guitarra (to play the guitar) or tocarse a alguien (to be about someone in expressions), illustrating the broad semantic range of touching and handling in Spanish.

See also: tocar, pretérito, español verbo.