picar Preterite Conjugation
picar — to sting or bite
The preterite of picar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'piqué' to keep the hard 'k' sound.
picar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use this for a specific instance when something bit you or when you chopped food at a specific moment in the past.
Notes on picar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (piqué). The other forms (picaste, picó, etc.) are regular and use the letter 'c'.
Example Sentences
Ayer piqué la cebolla para la ensalada.
Yesterday I chopped the onion for the salad.
yo
Un mosquito me picó en el brazo.
A mosquito bit me on the arm.
él/ella/usted
¿Picasteis algo de comer en la fiesta?
Did you all snack on something at the party?
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'picé' instead of 'piqué'.
Correct: piqué
Why: The 'c' must change to 'qu' before an 'e' to preserve the 'k' sound of the verb.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pico
The present tense of picar is completely regular: pico, picas, pica, picamos, picáis, pican.
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'.
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.