No quiero toser en la videollamada.

I do not want to cough in the video call.

Breakdown of No quiero toser en la videollamada.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• en: in
• .: period
• no: not
• la videollamada: the video call
• toser: to cough

Questions & Answers about No quiero toser en la videollamada.

Why is it no quiero toser and not no quiero toso or no quiero que toso?

In Spanish, when both verbs have the same subject (here, yo), the second verb normally stays in the infinitive:

• No quiero toser. = I don’t want to cough.

So:

• No quiero toso is simply ungrammatical. After quiero, you don’t conjugate the next verb if it has the same subject.
• No quiero que toso is also wrong; with que, you would need the subjunctive: no quiero que tosa, but that usually means I don’t want him/her/you to cough, not I don’t want to cough.

So to talk about yourself, you use no quiero toser, not a que-clause.

Could I say no quiero que tosa instead of no quiero toser?

Grammatically, no quiero que tosa is correct, but it normally refers to someone else:

• No quiero que tosa en la videollamada.
  → I don’t want him/her/you to cough on the video call.

Spanish speakers don’t interpret no quiero que tosa as I don’t want to cough; the subject of tosa is understood to be another person.

To talk about yourself, use the infinitive: no quiero toser en la videollamada.

Why is the subject yo missing? Why not Yo no quiero toser en la videollamada?

In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) are usually omitted because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• Quiero = I want
• Quieres = you (singular) want

So No quiero toser... already clearly means I don’t want to cough.

You add yo only for emphasis or contrast:

• Yo no quiero toser en la videollamada, pero tú siempre toses.
  I don’t want to cough on the call, but you always cough.

Why is it en la videollamada and not durante la videollamada or por la videollamada?

All three can appear in similar contexts, but they’re not identical:

• en la videollamada – literally in/on the video call, focusing on the setting or situation.
• durante la videollamada – during the video call, focusing on the time period.
• por la videollamada is not natural here; por would suggest cause or means (because of / via the video call), which doesn’t fit.

In your sentence, en la videollamada is the most natural way to say on the video call in European Spanish, and durante la videollamada would also be fine:

• No quiero toser en la videollamada.
• No quiero toser durante la videollamada. (slightly more temporal)

Why do we say la videollamada and not una videollamada?

The article changes the meaning slightly:

• la videollamada = the video call, a specific one we both know about (for example, the one at 5 p.m.).
• una videollamada = a video call, any call, not a specific one.

So:

• No quiero toser en la videollamada.
  → I don’t want to cough on the (particular) video call.

You could say en una videollamada if you mean “I don’t want to cough on a video call (in that situation in general).”

Why is it la videollamada and not el videollamada?

The gender is determined by the main noun in the compound:

• llamada is feminine (la llamada).
• vídeo just modifies it: videollamada = video call.

So videollamada is feminine:

• la videollamada
• esta videollamada
• una videollamada

Is videollamada the only way to say “video call” in Spain?

No. You’ll hear several options in Spain:

• videollamada – very common and standard.
• llamada de vídeo – also normal, maybe a bit more “descriptive”.
• videoconferencia – sounds a bit more formal/professional (meetings, work).
• llamada por vídeo – possible, but less common than llamada de vídeo.

For everyday use (WhatsApp, Zoom, etc.), videollamada is perfectly natural in Spain.

How do you pronounce no quiero toser en la videollamada in Spain?

Approximate pronunciation in standard peninsular Spanish:

• no – [no], short “o”
• quiero – [ˈkje.ɾo], like “kye-ro” (one r, not rolled strongly)
• toser – [toˈseɾ], stress on ser
• en – [en]
• la – [la]
• videollamada – [ˌβi.ðeo.ʝaˈma.ða]
  
  • vídeo often sounds like “bideo” because v is pronounced like a soft b.
  • ll is usually [ʝ], similar to the English y in yes (but a bit stronger): -llamada ≈ “ya-MA-da”.
  • The d between vowels (-da-) is very soft, almost like th in the.

Stress: NO quie-ro to-SER en la vi-de-o-lla-MA-da (main stress on -ma-).

Is toser a regular verb? How would I conjugate it in the present tense?

Yes, toser is a regular -er verb. Present indicative:

• yo toso – I cough
• tú toses – you cough (singular, informal)
• él / ella / usted tose – he/she coughs; you cough (formal)
• nosotros/as tosemos – we cough
• vosotros/as toséis – you cough (plural, informal, mainly Spain)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes tosen – they cough; you (plural, formal) cough

Past participle: tosido (he tosido = I have coughed).

Can I change the word order, like No quiero en la videollamada toser or En la videollamada no quiero toser?

Some changes are fine; others sound unnatural:

• ✔ No quiero toser en la videollamada. (most natural)
• ✔ En la videollamada no quiero toser. (emphasis on on the video call)

But:

• ✘ No quiero en la videollamada toser. – grammatically possible, but it sounds awkward and very marked; not natural in everyday speech.

So, if you want to front the location for emphasis, prefer:

• En la videollamada no quiero toser.

If I want to say “I don’t want to cough because of the video call”, would I still use en?

No, then you would likely use por to express cause:

• No quiero toser por la videollamada.
  → I don’t want to cough because of the video call.

But this is a bit strange conceptually (calls don’t usually cause coughing). A more natural causal example:

• No quiero toser por el humo.
  → I don’t want to cough because of the smoke.

In your original sentence, you’re talking about the setting, not the cause, so en la videollamada is correct.

Could I say No quiero tener tos en la videollamada instead of No quiero toser en la videollamada?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

• No quiero toser en la videollamada.
  → I don’t want the act of coughing to happen during the call (the sound, the interruption).

• No quiero tener tos en la videollamada.
  → I don’t want to have a cough / be coughing during the call (focusing more on the condition of having a cough).

Both are correct; choose depending on whether you focus on the action (toser) or the state (tener tos).

Is no quiero toser the only or most polite way to say “I’d rather not cough on the video call”?

It’s neutral and perfectly fine, but you can soften it, similar to English:

• Preferiría no toser en la videollamada. – I’d prefer not to cough…
• No me gustaría toser en la videollamada. – I wouldn’t like to cough…
• Me daría cosa toser en la videollamada. (colloquial, Spain) – It would feel awkward/weird to cough on the video call.

For everyday conversation, No quiero toser en la videollamada is completely normal and not impolite at all.