picar Imperfect Conjugation
picar — to sting or bite
The imperfect of picar is regular: picaba, picabas, picaba, picábamos, picabais, picaban.
picar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use this for ongoing past actions, like when a sweater used to be itchy or you were habitually snacking.
Notes on picar in the Imperfect
Picar is fully regular in the imperfect. It uses the standard -aba endings.
Example Sentences
Este jersey me picaba cuando era niño.
This sweater used to itch me when I was a kid.
él/ella/usted
Mientras yo picaba la carne, ella preparaba la mesa.
While I was chopping the meat, she was setting the table.
yo
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing 'picaba' (was itching) with 'picó' (itched once).
Correct: picaba
Why: Use imperfect for descriptions or habits; use preterite for one-time events.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'picar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: pico
The present tense of picar is completely regular: pico, picas, pica, picamos, picáis, pican.
Preterite
yo: piqué
The preterite of picar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'piqué' to keep the hard 'k' sound.
Future
yo: picaré
The future tense of picar is regular: picaré, picarás, picará, picaremos, picaréis, picarán.
Conditional
yo: picaría
The conditional of picar is regular: picaría, picarías, picaría, picaríamos, picaríais, picarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pique
The present subjunctive of picar features a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' in all forms: pique, piques, pique, piquemos, piquéis, piquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: picara
The imperfect subjunctive of picar is formed from the third-person plural preterite: picara, picaras, picara, picáramos, picarais, picaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pica
The imperative of picar involves a spelling change (qu) for formal commands and 'nosotros'.
Negative Imperative
yo: no piques
The negative imperative of picar uses the 'qu' spelling change for all forms: no piques, no pique, no piquemos, no piquéis, no piquen.