Picar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb picar means to chop, to sting, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Picar means to chop or to sting, and it covers chopping onions into small pieces, a bee stinging, food being spicy and, in Spain, snacking between meals. The chopping sense is the one learners meet first in recipes. Like every Spanish verb, picar 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 pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños, and in the preterite you say piqué los pimientos para la ensalada. 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: picar
- English: to chop, to sting
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: picando
- Past participle: picado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + picado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for picar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: c becomes qu before e, so the preterite is piqué and the subjunctive is pique, never picé or pice.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for picar. 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 | pico |
| tú | picas |
| él/ella/Ud. | pica |
| nosotros/as | picamos |
| vosotros/as | picáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | pican |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | piqué |
| tú | picaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | picó |
| nosotros/as | picamos |
| vosotros/as | picasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | picaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | picaba |
| tú | picabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | picaba |
| nosotros/as | picábamos |
| vosotros/as | picabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | picaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | picaré |
| tú | picarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | picará |
| nosotros/as | picaremos |
| vosotros/as | picaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | picarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | picaría |
| tú | picarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | picaría |
| nosotros/as | picaríamos |
| vosotros/as | picaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | picarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he picado |
| tú | has picado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha picado |
| nosotros/as | hemos picado |
| vosotros/as | habéis picado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han picado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había picado |
| tú | habías picado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había picado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos picado |
| vosotros/as | habíais picado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían picado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré picado |
| tú | habrás picado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá picado |
| nosotros/as | habremos picado |
| vosotros/as | habréis picado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán picado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría picado |
| tú | habrías picado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría picado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos picado |
| vosotros/as | habríais picado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían picado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | pique |
| tú | piques |
| él/ella/Ud. | pique |
| nosotros/as | piquemos |
| vosotros/as | piquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | piquen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | picara |
| tú | picaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | picara |
| nosotros/as | picáramos |
| vosotros/as | picarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | picaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | pica |
| él/ella/Ud. | pique |
| nosotros/as | piquemos |
| vosotros/as | picad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | piquen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | piques |
| él/ella/Ud. | pique |
| nosotros/as | piquemos |
| vosotros/as | piquéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | piquen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | picando | with estar for the progressive: estoy picando |
| Past participle | picado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he picado |
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 picar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños. 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 piqué. For picar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, piqué el ajo para la salsa. 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 picar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, picaba los pimientos para la ensalada. 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 picar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, picaré un poco de jamón antes de comer. 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 picar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Picaría la cebolla en trozos pequeños 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 picar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he picado el ajo para la salsa. 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 picar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había picado los pimientos para la ensalada 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 picar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré picado un poco de jamón antes de comer. 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 picar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría picado la cebolla en trozos pequeños 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 picar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él pique el ajo para la salsa. 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 picar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él picara los pimientos para la ensalada, 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 picar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Pica un poco de jamón antes de comer! 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 picar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No piques la cebolla en trozos pequeños. 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 picar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños. — I chop the onion into small pieces.
- Pica el ajo para la salsa. — He/she chops the garlic for the sauce.
- Ayer, piqué los pimientos para la ensalada. — Yesterday, I chopped the peppers for the salad.
- Antes, nosotros picábamos un poco de jamón antes de comer. — Before, we used to chop a little ham before eating.
- Mañana, tú picarás la cebolla en trozos pequeños. — Tomorrow, you will chop the onion into small pieces.
- Yo picaría el ajo para la salsa si tuviera más tiempo. — I would chop the garlic for the sauce if I had more time.
- Él ha picado los pimientos para la ensalada. — He has chopped the peppers for the salad.
- Espero que él pique un poco de jamón antes de comer. — I hope he chops a little ham before eating.
- Yo ya había picado la cebolla en trozos pequeños antes de salir. — I had already chopped the onion into small pieces before leaving.
- Ellos picaban el ajo para la salsa cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to chop the garlic for the sauce when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo pica la cebolla en trozos pequeños. — Right: Yo pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños. — The person matters: pica is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is pico. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo picé el ajo para la salsa. — Right: Yo piqué el ajo para la salsa. — In the preterite, the correct first-person form is piqué, not picé. picar 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.
- Wrong: Treating picar and cortar as identical in every context. — Right: Picar means to chop, to sting, while cortar means to cut, the general verb. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: picar fits sentences such as Pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños, while cortar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy picado el ajo para la salsa. — Right: Yo he picado el ajo para la salsa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he picado, has picado, ha picado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo piqué los pimientos para la ensalada todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo picaba los pimientos para la ensalada todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (picaba), not the preterite. The preterite (piqué) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on picar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cebolla en trozos pequeños. (present tense) A. pico B. picas C. pica D. picamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el ajo para la salsa. (preterite) A. piqué B. picaste C. picaron D. picó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ los pimientos para la ensalada. (imperfect) A. picabas B. picaban C. picábamos D. picaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ un poco de jamón antes de comer. (future) A. picaremos B. picarás C. picaré D. picará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la cebolla en trozos pequeños si pudiera. (conditional) A. picaría B. picarías C. picarían D. pico
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el ajo para la salsa. (present subjunctive) A. piques B. piquemos C. pico D. pique
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ los pimientos para la ensalada, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. picáramos B. pico C. picara D. picaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ un poco de jamón antes de comer. (present perfect) A. han picado B. hemos picado C. he picado D. has picado
Complete the command: ¡___ la cebolla en trozos pequeños! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. pica B. pique C. piquemos D. picad
Which is the gerund of picar, used with estar for the progressive? A. picado B. pico C. piqué D. picando
Answer key
- pico — The first-person present of picar is pico. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- picó — The third-person preterite of picar is picó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- picábamos — The nosotros imperfect of picar is picábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- picarás — The second-person future of picar is picarás.
- picaría — The first-person conditional of picar is picaría, the form for what would happen.
- pique — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of picar is pique.
- picara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of picar is picara.
- hemos picado — The nosotros present perfect of picar is hemos picado: hemos + picado.
- pica — The affirmative tú imperative of picar is pica.
- picando — The gerund of picar is picando: estoy picando. The participle picado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does picar mean in English?
Picar means to chop, to sting. It is used in everyday situations such as Pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is picar regular or irregular?
Picar 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 pico in the present and piqué in the preterite.
What is the difference between picar and cortar?
Picar means to chop, to sting, while cortar means to cut, the general verb. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use picar when you mean to chop, to sting, as in Pico la cebolla en trozos pequeños, and use cortar for to cut, the general verb. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I chop” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo piqué el ajo para la salsa. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo picaba los pimientos para la ensalada. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he picado el ajo para la salsa.
How do I practise picar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the picar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Picar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for picar.
- Picar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for picar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Cortar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with picar.
- Pelar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with picar.
- Preparar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with picar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.