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Verb conjugation

coger por sorpresa

to take by surprise

Usage

A fixed collocation meaning to catch someone off guard or by surprise — la noticia lo cogió por sorpresa. It carries the same regional caveat as plain coger: in much of Latin America, agarrar por sorpresa or tomar por sorpresa is safer.

Examples
  • La noticia nos cogió por sorpresa a todos.The news caught all of us by surprise.
  • Lo cogieron por sorpresa con esa pregunta en la entrevista.They caught him off guard with that question in the interview.
  • El examen nos cogió por sorpresa, no lo esperábamos tan pronto.The exam caught us by surprise, we didn't expect it so soon.
Common mistake

As with coger alone, this phrase is completely neutral in Spain but can sound vulgar in parts of Latin America — swap in agarrar por sorpresa when speaking with a Mexican, Argentine, or similar audience.

Often confused with sorprender.

Simple tenses

Imperative (imperativo)

-
nosotros-
vosotros-

Want to practice? Try a conjugation exercise.

Frequently asked questions

What does "coger por sorpresa" mean?

"coger por sorpresa" means "to take by surprise".

What is the Imperative (imperativo) of "coger por sorpresa"?

The imperative (imperativo) of "coger por sorpresa" is: tú -, nosotros -, vosotros -.

cofundar-coger-coger por sorpresa-cogitar-cognocer