The Imperfect Tense of picar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo picaba la cebolla para la ensalada. (I was chopping the onion for the salad.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Picar (to sting, chop) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

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 picaban el anzuelo pero no mordían. (The fish were nibbling at the hook but not biting.)

To chop or cut into pieces: For example, Mi mamá picaba la cebolla para la ensalada. (My mom was chopping the onion for the salad.)

To peck or pick at: For example, Las gallinas picaban las migas de pan en el suelo. (The hens were pecking at the breadcrumbs on the ground.)

To snack or nibble on food: For example, Los niños picaban fruta mientras veían la película. (The kids were snacking on fruit while watching the movie.)

To take drugs (slang): For example, Algunos jóvenes picaban cocaína en la fiesta. (Some youths were taking cocaine at the party.)

To flirt or hit on someone (colloquial): For example, El chico guapo me picaba cada vez que iba al bar. (The handsome guy would hit on me every time I went to the bar.)

Examples

Examples of Picar in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, picaba la fruta del árbol del patio. (When I was a child, I used to pick fruit from the tree in the backyard.)

Mi abuela picaba chiles para preparar salsa casera. (My grandmother used to chop chiles to make homemade salsa.)

En la oficina, picábamos los documentos para archivarlos. (At the office, we used to shred documents for filing.)

Ella picaba la cebolla con mucho cuidado para no llorar. (She used to chop the onion very carefully to avoid crying.)

Durante el verano, picábamos frutas frescas para hacer jugos naturales. (During the summer, we used to chop fresh fruits to make natural juices.)

Mis amigos y yo picábamos la comida en trozos pequeños para los niños. (My friends and I used to cut the food into small pieces for the children.)

En la construcción, los trabajadores picaban el concreto con un martillo neumático. (At the construction site, the workers used to break the concrete with a jackhammer.)

Antes de cocinar, picaba todos los ingredientes en un plato. (Before cooking, I used to chop all the ingredients on a plate.)

En la fiesta, algunos invitados picaban botanas mientras conversaban. (At the party, some guests used to snack on appetizers while chatting.)

Cuando picábamos la carne, teníamos cuidado de no cortarnos. (When we used to chop the meat, we were careful not to cut ourselves.)

Mi tío picaba leña para la chimenea en invierno. (My uncle used to chop firewood for the fireplace in winter.)

En la cocina, picábamos los vegetales para preparar ensaladas frescas. (In the kitchen, we used to chop vegetables to prepare fresh salads.)

Después de la escuela, picaba la fruta para llevarla como merienda. (After school, I used to chop fruit to take as a snack.)

En el taller de arte, picábamos la arcilla para moldear figuras. (In the art workshop, we used to knead clay to shape figures.)

Cuando picaba las especias, el olor llenaba la cocina. (When I used to grind the spices, the aroma filled the kitchen.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.