picar Negative Imperative Conjugation
picar — to sting or bite
The negative imperative of picar uses the 'qu' spelling change for all forms: no piques, no pique, no piquemos, no piquéis, no piquen.
picar Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use this to tell someone not to snack before dinner or not to chop something a certain way.
Notes on picar in the Negative Imperative
Since it uses the present subjunctive forms, the 'c' always changes to 'qu' to preserve the 'k' sound before the 'e'.
Example Sentences
No piques entre horas si quieres tener hambre.
Don't snack between meals if you want to be hungry.
tú
No piquen la carne todavía.
Don't chop the meat yet.
ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'no pica' instead of 'no piques'.
Correct: no piques
Why: Negative commands must use the subjunctive form, not the present indicative.
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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.
Imperfect
yo: picaba
The imperfect of picar is regular: picaba, picabas, picaba, picábamos, picabais, picaban.
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'.