Pegar Conjugation in Spanish
pegar means «to hit, to stick». It is a spelling-changing -ar verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of pegar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo pego todos los días» — I hit every day.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: pegar
- English: to hit, to stick
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: pegando
- Past participle: pegado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pegado)
- Spelling change: in the preterite the yo form is pegué, not pegé, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.
- Spelling change: in the present subjunctive the yo form is pegue, not pege, so the stem-final letter changes before e and i.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pegar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pegar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: pegando · Past participle: pegado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pego |
| tú | pegas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pega |
| nosotros/as | pegamos |
| vosotros/as | pegáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegan |
Use the present of pegar for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form pego is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -ar endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegué |
| tú | pegaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegó |
| nosotros/as | pegamos |
| vosotros/as | pegasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegaron |
Use the preterite of pegar for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is pegué. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegaba |
| tú | pegabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegaba |
| nosotros/as | pegábamos |
| vosotros/as | pegabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegaban |
Use the imperfect of pegar for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is pegaba. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegaré |
| tú | pegarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegará |
| nosotros/as | pegaremos |
| vosotros/as | pegaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegarán |
Use the future of pegar for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is pegaré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegaría |
| tú | pegarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegaría |
| nosotros/as | pegaríamos |
| vosotros/as | pegaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegarían |
Use the conditional of pegar for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is pegaría. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pegado |
| tú | has pegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pegado |
| nosotros/as | hemos pegado |
| vosotros/as | habéis pegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pegado |
Use the present perfect of pegar for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he pegado — haber in the present plus pegado. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pegado |
| tú | habías pegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pegado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pegado |
| vosotros/as | habíais pegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pegado |
Use the pluperfect of pegar when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había pegado. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pegado |
| tú | habrás pegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pegado |
| nosotros/as | habremos pegado |
| vosotros/as | habréis pegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pegado |
Use the future perfect of pegar to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré pegado. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pegado |
| tú | habrías pegado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pegado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pegado |
| vosotros/as | habríais pegado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pegado |
Use the conditional perfect of pegar for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría pegado. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegue |
| tú | pegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegue |
| nosotros/as | peguemos |
| vosotros/as | peguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peguen |
Use the present subjunctive of pegar when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is pegue. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pegara |
| tú | pegaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegara |
| nosotros/as | pegáramos |
| vosotros/as | pegarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pegaran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of pegar after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is pegara. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pega |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegue |
| nosotros/as | peguemos |
| vosotros/as | pegad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peguen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of pegar to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is pega. For a polite command, use the usted form pegue instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pegues |
| él/ella/Ud. | pegue |
| nosotros/as | peguemos |
| vosotros/as | peguéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peguen |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of pegar to forbid or to warn: «¡No pegues!». The tú form is pegues, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo pego todos los días. — I hit every day.
- Ayer yo pegué por la tarde. — Yesterday I hit in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo pegaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to hit every day.
- Mañana yo pegaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will hit without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo pegaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would hit right now.
- Hoy yo he pegado dos veces. — Today I have hit twice.
- Espero que tú pegues pronto. — I hope You hit soon.
- Si yo pegara, todo sería distinto. — If I hit, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy pegando. — Right now I am hitting.
- ¡pega, por favor! — Hit, please!
Common mistakes
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.
6. Confusing the gerund with the past participle
Wrong: He pegando.
Right: He pegado.
The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he pegado. The gerund pegando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy pegando»), never with haber.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. 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) pegas
- (c) pega
- (d) pegáis
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pegar in the preterite?
- (a) pegué
- (b) pegó
- (c) pegaron
- (d) pegaste
3. What is the yo form of pegar in the imperfect?
- (a) pegábamos
- (b) pegaba
- (c) pegaba
- (d) pegabas
4. What is the tú form of pegar in the future?
- (a) pegarás
- (b) pegará
- (c) pegaré
- (d) pegaremos
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of pegar in the conditional?
- (a) pegaría
- (b) pegaríamos
- (c) pegarías
- (d) pegaría
6. What is the nosotros/as form of pegar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha pegado
- (b) has pegado
- (c) hemos pegado
- (d) he pegado
7. What is the vosotros/as form of pegar in the present subjunctive?
- (a) peguéis
- (b) pegues
- (c) pegue
- (d) pegue
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pegar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) pegaran
- (b) pegara
- (c) pegara
- (d) pegaras
9. What is the gerund of pegar?
- (a) pegado
- (b) pego
- (c) pegar
- (d) pegando
10. What is the past participle of pegar?
- (a) pegado
- (b) pegar
- (c) pegué
- (d) pegando
Answer key
1. (d) — 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. (b) — In the imperfect, the yo form of pegar is pegaba. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the future, the tú form of pegar is pegarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of pegar is pegaría. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of pegar is hemos pegado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (a) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of pegar is peguéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (a) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pegar is pegaran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (d) — The gerund of pegar is pegando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy pegando». 10. (a) — The past participle of pegar is pegado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he pegado».
Frequently asked questions
Is pegar regular or irregular?
Mostly yes — pegar takes the regular -ar endings, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms (for example the yo preterite pegué). The endings never change; only the stem-final letter adjusts so the pronunciation stays the same.
What are the gerund and past participle of pegar?
The gerund is pegando and the past participle is pegado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy pegando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he pegado»).
How do I say «I hit» in Spanish?
Say «Yo pego todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of pegar?
Use the preterite (pegué) for a single finished event and the imperfect (pegaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo pegué» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo pegaba» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with pegar?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú pegues». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use pegar in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he pegado». The participle pegado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: pegar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: pegar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: pasarse
- Related verb: participar
- Related verb: palpar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz