picar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
picar — to sting or bite
The present subjunctive of picar features a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' in all forms: pique, piques, pique, piquemos, piquéis, piquen.
picar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this when expressing a wish, doubt, or recommendation about something stinging or biting, such as hoping a mosquito doesn't bite you during a hike.
Notes on picar in the Present Subjunctive
This is a spelling-change verb. To keep the hard 'k' sound before an 'e', the 'c' changes to 'qu'.
Example Sentences
Espero que no me pique ningún mosquito.
I hope no mosquito bites me.
él/ella/usted
Dudo que te piquen las abejas si no las molestas.
I doubt the bees will sting you if you don't bother them.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Es posible que nos pique la curiosidad.
It's possible that curiosity might bite us (we might get curious).
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'pice' instead of 'pique'.
Correct: pique
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' sounds like 'se' or 'the'. You must use 'qu' to maintain the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive picar.
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.
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.
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.