The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of picar is used to give direct orders or instructions, for example: ¡Pica la cebolla! (Chop the onion!). It allows you to directly command someone to perform the action of chopping or cutting into small pieces.

Picar is a spelling-changing verb that follows the -car to -que conjugation pattern in the imperative mood. The stem vowel changes from ca to que in all forms except for the nosotros form.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Picar (to sting) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Picar generally means to prick, sting, or bite, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To chop or cut into pieces: for example, ¡Pica la cebolla! (Chop the onion!)

To eat a small amount: for example, ¡Pica algo antes de salir! (Have a little snack before leaving!)

To knock or ring a doorbell: for example, ¡Pica el timbre! (Ring the doorbell!)

To type or enter data: for example, ¡Pica tu contraseña! (Type in your password!)

To tease or make fun of (colloquial): for example, ¡No me piques tanto! (Don’t tease me so much!)

To flirt or hit on someone (slang): for example, ¡Pícale un poco, a ver si te hace caso! (Flirt with her a bit, let’s see if she pays attention to you!)

Examples

Examples of Picar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Pica la cebolla en cubitos pequeños! (Chop the onion into small cubes!)

Para hacer el pastel, primero piquemos las nueces. (To make the cake, let’s first chop the nuts.)

Oye, ¿puedes picar un poco de cilantro para la salsa? (Hey, can you chop some cilantro for the salsa?)

Mamá, piquen las verduras para la ensalada, por favor. (Mom, please chop the veggies for the salad.)

Antes de cocinar la carne, pique el ajo finamente. (Before cooking the meat, finely chop the garlic.)

¡Picad las papas en tiras para hacer papas fritas caseras! (Cut the potatoes into strips to make homemade french fries!)

Para el guacamole, piquen el aguacate en cubos. (For the guacamole, chop the avocado into cubes.)

Chef, ¿puedo picar las cebollas mientras prepara la sartén? (Chef, can I chop the onions while you prepare the pan?)

Antes de salir, pica unas rodajas de limón para las bebidas. (Before we leave, slice some lemon for the drinks.)

¡Piquemos juntos los ingredientes para la salsa! (Let’s chop the ingredients for the salsa together!)

Para el pico de gallo, piquen los tomates en cubitos pequeños. (For the pico de gallo, chop the tomatoes into small cubes.)

Oye amigo, pica esta piña mientras preparo los cócteles. (Hey friend, chop this pineapple while I prepare the cocktails.)

En la clase de cocina, el chef nos dijo: “Piquen las zanahorias en rodajas finas”. (In the cooking class, the chef told us: “Slice the carrots into thin slices”.)

Para el ceviche, primero pique el pescado en cubitos pequeños. (For the ceviche, first chop the fish into small cubes.)

¡Picad las manzanas para la tarta de manzana! (Chop the apples for the apple pie!)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Picar (to sting) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.