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pegarle

peh-GAHR-leh/peˈɣaɾle/

“pegarle” means “to hit him/her/it” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to hit him/her/it

Also: to strike it, to beat him/her
VerbA2spelling change ar
A wooden mallet striking a large colorful drum.
gerundpegándole
past Participlepegado
infinitivepegarle

📝 In Action

Tienes que pegarle a la pelota con fuerza.

A2

You have to hit the ball with strength.

No está bien pegarle a los demás.

A2

It is not right to hit others.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • golpearle (to strike/hit him/her)

Antonyms

  • acariciarle (to caress him/her)

Common Collocations

  • pegarle fuerte – to hit it hard
  • pegarle a la pelota – to hit the ball

Idioms & Expressions

  • pegarle fuego – to set something on fire

to get it right

Also: to nail it, to hit the jackpot
VerbB1informal
A bright red arrow stuck exactly in the center of a target's bullseye.

📝 In Action

¡Le pegaste al gordo!

B1

You hit the jackpot! (You got it exactly right!)

Creo que le pegaste con esa respuesta.

B1

I think you nailed it with that answer.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • acertar (to get right/hit the mark)
  • atinar (to succeed in guessing)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • pegarle al clavo – to hit the nail on the head

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesle pegaran
yole pegara
túle pegaras
vosotrosle pegarais
nosotrosle pegáramos
él/ella/ustedle pegara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesle peguen
yole pegue
túle pegues
vosotrosle peguéis
nosotrosle peguemos
él/ella/ustedle pegue

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesle pegaron
yole pegué
túle pegaste
vosotrosle pegasteis
nosotrosle pegamos
él/ella/ustedle pegó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesle pegaban
yole pegaba
túle pegabas
vosotrosle pegabais
nosotrosle pegábamos
él/ella/ustedle pegaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesle pegan
yole pego
túle pegas
vosotrosle pegáis
nosotrosle pegamos
él/ella/ustedle pega
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pegarle

Question 1 of 2

If you are playing soccer and someone says '¡Pégale!', what should you do?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
pegar(to hit / to stick) — Verb
pegamento(glue) — Noun
pegajoso(sticky) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
darlebuscarle
📚 Etymology▼

From the verb 'pegar' (from Latin 'picare', to cover with pitch/glue) combined with the pronoun 'le' (him/her/it). Over time, the meaning shifted from just 'sticking' to 'striking' as if things were being clapped together.

First recorded: 13th century (base verb)

Cognates (Related words)

English: pitch (tar-like substance)Portuguese: pegar

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the word change to 'pégale'?

When you give a command (the imperative), the accent moves to the 'e' to keep the stress on the right syllable when the 'le' is attached.

Can 'pegarle' mean 'to glue it'?

While 'pegar' means to glue, when you add 'le' as an object, it almost always refers to hitting or striking someone/something.