Pescar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb pescar means to fish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Pescar means to fish, and it covers fishing for trout in a river, fishing with a rod in a lake and, in the idiom pescar un resfriado, catching a cold. It is a spelling-change verb: the c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is pesqué. Like every Spanish verb, pescar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say pesco truchas en el río, and in the preterite you say pesqué en el mar al amanecer. 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: pescar
  • English: to fish
  • Verb type: irregular verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: pescando
  • Past participle: pescado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + pescado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pescar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is pesqué and the subjunctive is pesque. Pescar un resfriado is to catch a cold.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for pescar. 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.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo pesco
tú pescas
él/ella/Ud. pesca
nosotros/as pescamos
vosotros/as pescáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescan

Preterite

Person Form
yo pesqué
tú pescaste
él/ella/Ud. pescó
nosotros/as pescamos
vosotros/as pescasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo pescaba
tú pescabas
él/ella/Ud. pescaba
nosotros/as pescábamos
vosotros/as pescabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescaban

Future

Person Form
yo pescaré
tú pescarás
él/ella/Ud. pescará
nosotros/as pescaremos
vosotros/as pescaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo pescaría
tú pescarías
él/ella/Ud. pescaría
nosotros/as pescaríamos
vosotros/as pescaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he pescado
tú has pescado
él/ella/Ud. ha pescado
nosotros/as hemos pescado
vosotros/as habéis pescado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han pescado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había pescado
tú habías pescado
él/ella/Ud. había pescado
nosotros/as habíamos pescado
vosotros/as habíais pescado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían pescado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré pescado
tú habrás pescado
él/ella/Ud. habrá pescado
nosotros/as habremos pescado
vosotros/as habréis pescado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán pescado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría pescado
tú habrías pescado
él/ella/Ud. habría pescado
nosotros/as habríamos pescado
vosotros/as habríais pescado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían pescado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo pesque
tú pesques
él/ella/Ud. pesque
nosotros/as pesquemos
vosotros/as pesquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pesquen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo pescara
tú pescaras
él/ella/Ud. pescara
nosotros/as pescáramos
vosotros/as pescarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. pescaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú pesca
él/ella/Ud. pesque
nosotros/as pesquemos
vosotros/as pescad
ellos/ellas/Uds. pesquen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú pesques
él/ella/Ud. pesque
nosotros/as pesquemos
vosotros/as pesquéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. pesquen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund pescando with estar for the progressive: estoy pescando
Past participle pescado with haber for the perfect tenses: he pescado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For pescar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Pesco truchas en el río. Learn the present 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 with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change in the first person: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite first person is pesqué. For pescar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, pesqué con caña en el lago. 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 de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, pescaba en el mar al amanecer. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, pescaré un resfriado en invierno. 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 with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Pescaría truchas en el río si pudiera. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he pescado con caña en el lago. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había pescado en el mar al amanecer antes de salir. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré pescado un resfriado en invierno. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría pescado truchas en el río con más tiempo. 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For pescar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pesque con caña en el lago. 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 this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For pescar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él pescara en el mar al amanecer, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For pescar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Pesca un resfriado en invierno! Learn the affirmative imperative 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. Note the spelling change here: c becomes qu before e, so the forms keep the same sound as the infinitive. For pescar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No pesques truchas en el río. Learn the negative imperative 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 pescar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Pesco truchas en el río. — I fish trout in the river.
  2. Pesca con caña en el lago. — He/she fishes with a rod in the lake.
  3. Ayer, pesqué en el mar al amanecer. — Yesterday, I fished in the sea at dawn.
  4. Antes, nosotros pescábamos un resfriado en invierno. — Before, we used to fish a cold in winter.
  5. Mañana, tú pescarás truchas en el río. — Tomorrow, you will fish trout in the river.
  6. Yo pescaría con caña en el lago si tuviera más tiempo. — I would fish with a rod in the lake if I had more time.
  7. Él ha pescado en el mar al amanecer. — He has fished in the sea at dawn.
  8. Espero que él pesque un resfriado en invierno. — I hope he fishes a cold in winter.
  9. Yo ya había pescado truchas en el río antes de salir. — I had already fished trout in the river before leaving.
  10. Ellos pescaban con caña en el lago cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to fish with a rod in the lake when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo pesca truchas en el río. — Right: Yo pesco truchas en el río. — The person matters: pesca is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is pesco. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo pescé con caña en el lago. — Right: Yo pesqué con caña en el lago. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is pesqué, not pescé. pescar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the written form changes to keep the same sound. The regular-looking form is wrong.
  3. Wrong: Treating pescar and cazar as identical in every context. — Right: Pescar means to fish, while cazar means to hunt, the land partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: pescar fits sentences such as Pesco truchas en el río, while cazar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy pescado con caña en el lago. — Right: Yo he pescado con caña en el lago. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he pescado, has pescado, ha pescado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo pesqué en el mar al amanecer todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo pescaba en el mar al amanecer todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (pescaba), not the preterite. The preterite (pesqué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on pescar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ truchas en el río. (present tense) A. pesco B. pescas C. pesca D. pescamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ con caña en el lago. (preterite) A. pesqué B. pescaste C. pescaron D. pescó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en el mar al amanecer. (imperfect) A. pescabas B. pescaban C. pescábamos D. pescaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ un resfriado en invierno. (future) A. pescaremos B. pescarás C. pescaré D. pescará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ truchas en el río si pudiera. (conditional) A. pescaría B. pescarías C. pescarían D. pesco

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ con caña en el lago. (present subjunctive) A. pesques B. pesquemos C. pesco D. pesque

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en el mar al amanecer, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. pescáramos B. pesco C. pescara D. pescaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ un resfriado en invierno. (present perfect) A. han pescado B. hemos pescado C. he pescado D. has pescado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ truchas en el río! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. pesca B. pesque C. pesquemos D. pescad

  10. Which is the gerund of pescar, used with estar for the progressive? A. pescado B. pesco C. pesqué D. pescando

Answer key

  1. pesco — The first-person present of pescar is pesco. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. pescó — The third-person preterite of pescar is pescó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. pescábamos — The nosotros imperfect of pescar is pescábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. pescarás — The second-person future of pescar is pescarás.
  5. pescaría — The first-person conditional of pescar is pescaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. pesque — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of pescar is pesque.
  7. pescara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of pescar is pescara.
  8. hemos pescado — The nosotros present perfect of pescar is hemos pescado: hemos + pescado.
  9. pesca — The affirmative tú imperative of pescar is pesca.
  10. pescando — The gerund of pescar is pescando: estoy pescando. The participle pescado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does pescar mean in English?

Pescar means to fish. It is used in everyday situations such as Pesco truchas en el río. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is pescar regular or irregular?

Pescar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including pesco in the present and pesqué in the preterite.

What is the difference between pescar and cazar?

Pescar means to fish, while cazar means to hunt, the land partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use pescar when you mean to fish, as in Pesco truchas en el río, and use cazar for to hunt, the land partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I fish” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo pesqué con caña en el lago. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo pescaba en el mar al amanecer. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he pescado con caña en el lago.

How do I practise pescar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the pescar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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