Pegar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

pegar means to hit, to stick, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a spelling-changing -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo pego todos los días» — I hit every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use pegar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Pegar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where pegar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo pego todos los días. — I hit every day.
  2. Tú pegas en el trabajo. — You hit at work.
  3. Él pega con mi familia. — He hits with my family.
  4. Nosotros pegamos por la mañana. — We hit in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo pegué por la tarde. — Yesterday I hit in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo pegaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to hit every day.
  3. La semana pasada él pegó dos veces. — Last week He hit twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo pegaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will hit without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo pegaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would hit right now.
  3. Hoy yo he pegado dos veces. — Today I have hit twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú pegues pronto. — I hope You hit soon.
  2. ¡pega, por favor! — Hit, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy pegando. — Right now I am hitting.

Pegar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo pego en el trabajo.» — I hit at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo pego con mi familia.» — I hit with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo pegaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will hit without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo pegaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would hit right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he pegado dos veces.» — Today I have hit twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo pegué por la tarde. Antes, yo pegaba todos los días. Hoy yo he pegado dos veces. Mañana yo pegaré sin falta.

Yesterday I hit in the afternoon. In the past, I used to hit every day. Today I have hit twice. Tomorrow I will hit without fail.

Common mistakes with pegar

1. Missing the spelling change in the preterite

Wrong: Yo pegé.

Right: Yo pegué.

The spelling changes so the pronunciation stays the same: the yo form in the preterite is pegué, not pegé. The endings are regular — only the spelling of the stem-final letter adjusts before e and i.

2. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo pegaba.

Right: Ayer yo pegué.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, pegué. The imperfect pegaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

3. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú pegas.

Right: Espero que tú pegues.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: pegues, not the indicative pegas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

4. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No pega.

Right: No pegues.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no pegues. The affirmative pega can never follow no.

5. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo pegar todos los días.

Right: Yo pego todos los días.

The infinitive pegar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo pego.

Quiz: pegar in use

Test yourself on pegar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of pegar in the present indicative?

- (a) pego
- (b) pegáis
- (c) pega
- (d) pegas

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pegar in the preterite?

- (a) pegué
- (b) pegaste
- (c) pegaron
- (d) pegó

3. What is the yo form of pegar in the future?

- (a) pegará
- (b) pegaremos
- (c) pegarás
- (d) pegaré

4. What is the tú form of pegar in the present perfect?

- (a) he pegado
- (b) hemos pegado
- (c) ha pegado
- (d) has pegado

5. What is the vosotros/as form of pegar in the imperfect?

- (a) pegaba
- (b) pegabais
- (c) pegaba
- (d) pegabas

6. What is the gerund of pegar?

- (a) pegando
- (b) pegado
- (c) pegar
- (d) pego

7. What is the past participle of pegar?

- (a) pegar
- (b) pegando
- (c) pegado
- (d) pegué

8. Which sentence uses pegar correctly?

- (a) *Yo pega todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo pegas todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo pegar todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo pego todos los días.* — I hit every day.

9. Which sentence uses pegar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo pegué por la tarde.* — Yesterday I hit in the afternoon.
- (b) *Ayer yo pegaba por la tarde.*
- (c) *Ayer yo pegar por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo pego por la tarde.*

10. What does pegar mean?

- (a) to hit, to stick
- (b) to go over
- (c) to break
- (d) to participate

Answer key

1. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of pegar is pegáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pegar is pegaron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (d) — In the future, the yo form of pegar is pegaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the tú form of pegar is has pegado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of pegar is pegabais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of pegar is pegando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy pegando». 7. (c) — The past participle of pegar is pegado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he pegado». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of pegar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of pegar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (a) — pegar means «to hit, to stick».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I hit' in Spanish?

Say «Yo pego todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I hit' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo pegué por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is pegar reflexive?

No — pegar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo pego, tú pegas, él pega. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with pegar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (pegué) for a single finished event and the imperfect (pegaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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