How to Say "to chase" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to chase” is “perseguir” — use 'perseguir' when you are talking about following someone or something quickly with the intention of catching them, like a chase in a pursuit scenario.
Use 'perseguir' when you are talking about following someone or something quickly with the intention of catching them, like a chase in a pursuit scenario.
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Use 'cazar' specifically when the chase is for the purpose of hunting an animal, often for sport, food, or pest control.
Learn more →pehr-seh-GEERpeɾseˈɣiɾ
Examples
El perro persiguió al gato hasta el tejado.
The dog chased the cat all the way to the roof.
La policía persigue al ladrón por las calles estrechas.
The police are pursuing the thief through the narrow streets.
The 'E' to 'I' Change
In the present tense, the 'e' in the stem changes to 'i' whenever the stress falls on the stem (like in 'persigues' or 'persiguen'), but not in 'nosotros' or 'vosotros'.
Forgetting the 'G' change
Mistake: “Yo persigo (Incorrect: Yo persigo)”
Correction: Yo persigo. The 'g' changes to 'gu' before 'o' to keep the hard 'g' sound, just like in 'distinguir' (distingo).
kah-SAHRkaˈθaɾ
Examples
Mi abuelo solía cazar conejos en el bosque.
My grandfather used to hunt rabbits in the forest.
Van a cazar patos a la orilla del río.
They are going to hunt ducks on the riverbank.
The Z-C Spelling Change
In Spanish, the letter 'z' can never be followed by 'e' or 'i'. When conjugating 'cazar', the 'z' changes to 'c' in the first-person preterite ('yo cacé') and throughout the present subjunctive ('cace', 'caces', etc.).
Forgetting the Z/C Change
Mistake: “Yo cazé (incorrect spelling)”
Correction: Yo cacé (The 'z' must change to 'c' before the 'e' ending.)
Confusing Hunting with General Pursuit
The most common mistake is using 'cazar' for any kind of chase. Remember that 'cazar' is almost exclusively used for hunting animals. For any other type of chase, like a police pursuit or a game of tag, 'perseguir' is the correct choice.
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