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Conjugation Chart of “Picar” (to sting, chop) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Picar”

The Imperfect Tense of picar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo picaba cebollas para la cena. (I was chopping onions for dinner.)

Picar is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Picar in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of picar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To prick or sting: For example, Las abejas me picaban cuando trabajaba en el jardín. (The bees were stinging me when I was working in the garden.)

To bite or nibble: For example, Los peces pequeños picaban el anzuelo. (The little fish were nibbling at the hook.)

To chop or cut into pieces: For example, Mi abuela picaba la cebolla para la sopa. (My grandmother was chopping the onion for the soup.)

To peck: For example, Las gallinas picaban el maíz en el suelo. (The hens were pecking at the corn on the ground.)

To snack or eat lightly: For example, Después de la escuela, picábamos algo antes de la cena. (After school, we would snack on something before dinner.)

To take a bite (slang): For example, ¿Quieres picar un poco de esta pizza? (Do you want to take a bite of this pizza?)

To be spicy or have a kick (slang): For example, Esta salsa pica un montón, ten cuidado. (This salsa has a lot of kick, be careful.)

Real Life Examples of Picar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo picaba la cebolla para la ensalada. (I was chopping the onion for the salad.)

Ella picaba nueces para la tarta. (She was chopping nuts for the pie.)

Nosotros picábamos ají para hacer salsa picante. (We were chopping chili peppers to make a spicy sauce.)

Tú picabas hierbas para el guiso. (You were chopping herbs for the stew.)

Ellos picaban carne para hacer hamburguesas caseras. (They were chopping meat to make homemade burgers.)

Vosotros picabais verduras para la ensalada fresca. (You all were chopping vegetables for a fresh salad.)

Ustedes picaban jengibre para el té. (You all were chopping ginger for tea.)

El cocinero picaba cebollas y pimientos para el sofrito. (The cook was chopping onions and peppers for the sofrito.)

Mi abuela picaba ajo para darle más sabor a la comida. (My grandmother was chopping garlic to add more flavor to the food.)

Los chefs picaban finas hierbas para decorar los platos. (The chefs were chopping fine herbs to garnish the dishes.)

Yo picaba chile para darle un toque picante al guacamole. (I was chopping chili to give the guacamole a spicy kick.)

Tú picabas fruta para hacer una ensalada de frutas. (You were chopping fruit to make a fruit salad.)

Ella picaba chocolate para hacer galletas. (She was chopping chocolate to make cookies.)

Nosotros picábamos tomates para hacer salsa fresca. (We were chopping tomatoes to make fresh salsa.)

Ellos picaban cebolletas para decorar la sopa. (They were chopping scallions to garnish the soup.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Picar (to sting, chop) in the Imperfect Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.