Pellizcar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb pellizcar means to pinch, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pellizcar is a spelling-changing -ar (c → qu before e) verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. It has a spelling change (c → qu before e), which keeps the pronunciation of the stem the same when the ending changes. On this page you will find the full conjugation of pellizcar 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 pellizco a su hermano — "I pinch his brother" — and in the preterite you say Yo pellizqué el brazo — "I pinched my arm". 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: pellizcar
- English: to pinch
- Verb type: spelling-changing -ar (c → qu before e) verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: pellizcando
- Past participle: pellizcado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pellizcado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pellizcar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pellizcar. 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: pellizcando · Past participle: pellizcado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizco |
| tú | pellizcas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizca |
| nosotros/as | pellizcamos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizqué |
| tú | pellizcaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizcó |
| nosotros/as | pellizcamos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizcaba |
| tú | pellizcabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizcaba |
| nosotros/as | pellizcábamos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizcaré |
| tú | pellizcarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizcará |
| nosotros/as | pellizcaremos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizcaría |
| tú | pellizcarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizcaría |
| nosotros/as | pellizcaríamos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he pellizcado |
| tú | has pellizcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha pellizcado |
| nosotros/as | hemos pellizcado |
| vosotros/as | habéis pellizcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han pellizcado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había pellizcado |
| tú | habías pellizcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había pellizcado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pellizcado |
| vosotros/as | habíais pellizcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían pellizcado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré pellizcado |
| tú | habrás pellizcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá pellizcado |
| nosotros/as | habremos pellizcado |
| vosotros/as | habréis pellizcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán pellizcado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría pellizcado |
| tú | habrías pellizcado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría pellizcado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pellizcado |
| vosotros/as | habríais pellizcado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían pellizcado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizque |
| tú | pellizques |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizque |
| nosotros/as | pellizquemos |
| vosotros/as | pellizquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pellizcara |
| tú | pellizcaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizcara |
| nosotros/as | pellizcáramos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizcaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pellizca |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizque |
| nosotros/as | pellizquemos |
| vosotros/as | pellizcad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pellizques |
| él/ella/Ud. | pellizque |
| nosotros/as | pellizquemos |
| vosotros/as | pellizquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pellizquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | pellizcando | with estar for the progressive: estoy pellizcando |
| Past participle | pellizcado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he pellizcado |
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 pellizcar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pellizco el brazo — "I pinch my arm". 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 pellizcar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pellizqué para despertarlo — "I pinched to wake him up". 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. Spelling change in the preterite: the yo form is pellizqué (c → qu before e), so the sound of the stem stays the same.
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 pellizcar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pellizcaba a su hermano — "I used to pinch 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 pellizcar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pellizcaré el brazo — "I will pinch my arm". 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 pellizcar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo pellizcaría para despertarlo — "I would pinch to wake him up". 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 pellizcar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he pellizcado a su hermano — "I have pinched 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 pellizcar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había pellizcado el brazo — "I had pinched my arm". 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 pellizcar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré pellizcado para despertarlo — "I will have pinched to wake him up". 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 pellizcar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría pellizcado a su hermano — "I would have pinched 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 pellizcar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pellizque el brazo — "I hope he pinches my arm". 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. The subjunctive keeps the spelling change: pellizque, pellizques, pellizque all show c → qu before e, just like the preterite yo form.
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 pellizcar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo pellizcara para despertarlo, todo cambiaría — "If I pinched to wake him up, 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 pellizcar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Pellizque a su hermano — "Let him pinch 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 pellizcar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No pellizques el brazo — "Don't pinch my arm". 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 pellizcar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo pellizco para despertarlo — "I pinch to wake him up"
- Él pellizca a su hermano — "He pinches his brother"
- Yo pellizqué el brazo — "I pinched my arm"
- Yo pellizcaba para despertarlo — "I used to pinch to wake him up"
- Tú pellizcarás a su hermano — "You will pinch his brother"
- Yo pellizcaría el brazo — "I would pinch my arm"
- Él ha pellizcado para despertarlo — "He has pinched to wake him up"
- Espero que él pellizque a su hermano — "I hope he pinches his brother"
- Yo había pellizcado el brazo — "I had pinched my arm"
- Ellos pellizcaban para despertarlo — "They used to pinch to wake him up"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos pellizca a su hermano — Right: Ellos pellizcan a su hermano — Ellos needs the ellos form pellizcan. The singular pellizca belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo pellizco — Right: Ayer, yo pellizqué — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to pellizqué, with the spelling change c → qu before e.
- Wrong: De niño, yo pellizqué todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo pellizcaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pellizcaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pellizqué) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy pellizcado el brazo. — Right: Yo he pellizcado el brazo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pellizcado, has pellizcado, ha pellizcado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él pellizca a su hermano. — Right: Espero que él pellizque a su hermano. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: pellizque. The indicative pellizca is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pellizcar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hermano. (present tense) A. pellizque B. hemos pellizcado C. pellizcamos D. pellizco
Complete the sentence: Él ___ a su hermano. (preterite) A. pellizcaron B. pellizcábamos C. pellizcó D. habías pellizcado
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su hermano. (imperfect) A. pellizcamos B. pellizcábamos C. pellizcáis D. habremos pellizcado
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ a su hermano. (future) A. pellizcarás B. pellizcaran C. pellizquéis D. pellizcaríamos
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a su hermano. (conditional) A. ha pellizcado B. hemos pellizcado C. pellizcasteis D. pellizcaría
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a su hermano. (present subjunctive) A. pellizcaremos B. pellizque C. pellizcaréis D. pellizcabais
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ a su hermano, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. he pellizcado B. pellizcara C. pellizcarán D. pellizcaran
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a su hermano. (present perfect) A. pellizcaste B. hemos pellizcado C. pellizcamos D. he pellizcado
Complete the command: No ___ a su hermano. (negative imperative, tú) A. pellizque B. pellizquéis C. pellizquen D. pellizques
Which is the gerund of pellizcar, used with estar for the progressive? A. pellizcaba B. pellizcando C. pellizcaré D. pellizco
Answer key
- pellizco — The yo present tense of pellizcar is pellizco.
- pellizcó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of pellizcar is pellizcó.
- pellizcábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of pellizcar is pellizcábamos.
- pellizcarás — The tú future of pellizcar is pellizcarás.
- pellizcaría — The yo conditional of pellizcar is pellizcaría.
- pellizque — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of pellizcar is pellizque.
- pellizcara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of pellizcar is pellizcara.
- hemos pellizcado — The nosotros/as present perfect of pellizcar is hemos pellizcado.
- pellizques — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: pellizques.
- pellizcando — The gerund of pellizcar is pellizcando: estoy pellizcando. The participle pellizcado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does pellizcar mean in English?
Pellizcar means to pinch. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo pellizco a su hermano. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is pellizcar regular?
Mostly. Pellizcar follows the regular -ar endings, but it has a spelling change (c → qu before e). The tables on this page show every form, so you can see exactly where the spelling changes.
What is the gerund and the past participle of pellizcar?
The gerund is pellizcando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy pellizcando. The past participle is pellizcado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he pellizcado.
How do I say “I pinch” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo pellizqué el brazo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo pellizcaba para despertarlo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he pellizcado a su hermano.
How do I practise pellizcar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pellizcar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Pellizcar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for pellizcar.
- Pellizcar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for pellizcar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Resfriarse conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pellizcar.
- Relampaguear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pellizcar.
- Granizar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with pellizcar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.