Pelear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pelear means to fight, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pelear is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of pelear 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, in the present tense you say Yo peleo con su hermano — "I fight with his brother" — and in the preterite you say Yo peleé por el último trozo — "I fought over the last piece". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: pelear
- English: to fight
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: peleando
- Past participle: peleado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + peleado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pelear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pelear. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Gerund: peleando · Past participle: peleado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | peleo |
| tú | peleas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pelea |
| nosotros/as | peleamos |
| vosotros/as | peleáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pelean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | peleé |
| tú | peleaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | peleó |
| nosotros/as | peleamos |
| vosotros/as | peleasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pelearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | peleaba |
| tú | peleabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | peleaba |
| nosotros/as | peleábamos |
| vosotros/as | peleabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peleaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pelearé |
| tú | pelearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | peleará |
| nosotros/as | pelearemos |
| vosotros/as | pelearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pelearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pelearía |
| tú | pelearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pelearía |
| nosotros/as | pelearíamos |
| vosotros/as | pelearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pelearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he peleado |
| tú | has peleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha peleado |
| nosotros/as | hemos peleado |
| vosotros/as | habéis peleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han peleado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había peleado |
| tú | habías peleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había peleado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos peleado |
| vosotros/as | habíais peleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían peleado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré peleado |
| tú | habrás peleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá peleado |
| nosotros/as | habremos peleado |
| vosotros/as | habréis peleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán peleado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría peleado |
| tú | habrías peleado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría peleado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos peleado |
| vosotros/as | habríais peleado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían peleado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pelee |
| tú | pelees |
| él/ella/Ud. | pelee |
| nosotros/as | peleemos |
| vosotros/as | peleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peleen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | peleara |
| tú | pelearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | peleara |
| nosotros/as | peleáramos |
| vosotros/as | pelearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pelearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pelea |
| él/ella/Ud. | pelee |
| nosotros/as | peleemos |
| vosotros/as | pelead |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peleen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pelees |
| él/ella/Ud. | pelee |
| nosotros/as | peleemos |
| vosotros/as | peleéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | peleen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | peleando | with estar for the progressive: estoy peleando |
| Past participle | peleado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he peleado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For pelear, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo peleo por el último trozo — "I fight over the last piece". Learn the present indicative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For pelear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo peleé en el patio — "I fought in the yard". Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For pelear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo peleaba con su hermano — "I used to fight with his brother". Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For pelear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pelearé por el último trozo — "I will fight over the last piece". Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For pelear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pelearía en el patio — "I would fight in the yard". Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. It connects the past with the present moment. For pelear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he peleado con su hermano — "I have fought with his brother". Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For pelear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había peleado por el último trozo — "I had fought over the last piece". Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For pelear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré peleado en el patio — "I will have fought in the yard". Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For pelear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría peleado con su hermano — "I would have fought with his brother". Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For pelear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pelee por el último trozo — "I hope he fights over the last piece". Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For pelear, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo peleara en el patio, todo cambiaría — "If I fought in the yard, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For pelear, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Pelee con su hermano — "Let him fight with his brother". Learn the imperative (affirmative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For pelear, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No pelees por el último trozo — "Don't fight over the last piece". Learn the imperative (negative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with pelear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo peleo en el patio — "I fight in the yard"
- Él pelea con su hermano — "He fights with his brother"
- Yo peleé por el último trozo — "I fought over the last piece"
- Yo peleaba en el patio — "I used to fight in the yard"
- Tú pelearás con su hermano — "You will fight with his brother"
- Yo pelearía por el último trozo — "I would fight over the last piece"
- Él ha peleado en el patio — "He has fought in the yard"
- Espero que él pelee con su hermano — "I hope he fights with his brother"
- Yo había peleado por el último trozo — "I had fought over the last piece"
- Ellos peleaban en el patio — "They used to fight in the yard"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos pelea con su hermano — Right: Ellos pelean con su hermano — Ellos needs the ellos form pelean. The singular pelea belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo peleo — Right: Ayer, yo peleé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to peleé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo peleé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo peleaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (peleaba), not the preterite. The preterite (peleé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy peleado por el último trozo. — Right: Yo he peleado por el último trozo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he peleado, has peleado, ha peleado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Treating pelear and pelearse as identical in every context. — Right: Pelear means to fight, while pelearse means to fight, to quarrel. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: pelear fits sentences such as Yo peleo con su hermano, while pelearse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pelear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con su hermano. (present tense) A. pelearíais B. habríamos peleado C. pelearás D. peleo
Complete the sentence: Él ___ con su hermano. (preterite) A. peleo B. has peleado C. peleó D. habían peleado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con su hermano. (imperfect) A. habré peleado B. habríais peleado C. peleaste D. peleábamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ con su hermano. (future) A. peleo B. pelearás C. habrías peleado D. pelearía
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ con su hermano. (conditional) A. pelearía B. habríamos peleado C. habrá peleado D. habrían peleado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con su hermano. (present subjunctive) A. pelee B. pelean C. peleábamos D. habremos peleado
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con su hermano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. peleara B. peleas C. pelean D. pelearan
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con su hermano. (present perfect) A. habíamos peleado B. pelean C. pelee D. hemos peleado
Complete the command: No ___ con su hermano. (negative imperative, tú) A. pelees B. pelee C. peleemos D. peleéis
Which is the gerund of pelear, used with estar for the progressive? A. peleaba B. peleé C. peleando D. pelearé
Answer key
- peleo — The yo present tense of pelear is peleo.
- peleó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of pelear is peleó.
- peleábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of pelear is peleábamos.
- pelearás — The tú future of pelear is pelearás.
- pelearía — The yo conditional of pelear is pelearía.
- pelee — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of pelear is pelee.
- peleara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of pelear is peleara.
- hemos peleado — The nosotros/as present perfect of pelear is hemos peleado.
- pelees — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: pelees.
- peleando — The gerund of pelear is peleando: estoy peleando. The participle peleado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pelear mean in English?
Pelear means to fight. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo peleo con su hermano. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pelear regular?
Yes. Pelear is a regular -ar verb: peleo, peleas, pelea. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the difference between pelear and pelearse?
Pelear means to fight, while pelearse means to fight, to quarrel. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use pelear when you mean to fight, as in Yo peleo con su hermano, and use pelearse for to fight, to quarrel. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I fight” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo peleé por el último trozo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo peleaba en el patio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he peleado con su hermano.
How do I practise pelear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pelear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pelear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pelear.
- Pelear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pelear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Pelearse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pelear.
- Perfeccionar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pelear.
- Pesar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pelear.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.