Picar

Picar is a common Spanish verb in the infinitive form with a range of related senses linked to biting, pricking, cutting into small pieces, and tasting or provoking a sensation. The exact meaning depends on context, objects, and regional usage, but the core idea involves a quick, pointed action or effect.

In cooking, picar means to chop or mince ingredients. Examples include picar ajo (to mince garlic) or a cebolla picada (chopped onion). The adjective picado is used to describe food that has been finely cut. In everyday speech, picar can also mean to snack or nibble, as in vamos a picar algo (let’s have a bite to eat). Another common sense is the sensation caused by spicy or pungent foods: este chile pica (this chili bites/is spicy).

In a biological sense, picar describes the act of biting or stinging by insects or animals, such as la abeja me pica (the bee bites me) or un mosquito pica. The noun picadura refers to the bite or sting itself.

Picar is a regular -ar verb, so its present indicative forms are pico, picas, pica, picamos, picáis, pican, and its preterite forms include picé, picaste, picó, picamos, picasteis, picaron. The term appears in numerous regional expressions across the Spanish-speaking world, with nuances that vary by country and dialect.