From "Sticking" to "Hitting": The Many Meanings of the Spanish Verb Pegar

The Royal Spanish Academy's Dictionary of the Spanish Language lists 25 different meanings for the Spanish verb pegar, whose English translations range from "to stick" to "to hit"! Although we won't cover all of them, today's lesson will touch on many of the most common ones, backed by lots of examples from the Yabla Spanish video library. Are you ready?!

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1. To paste, glue, or stick on

The Spanish verb pegar is often used to describe attaching one thing to another. While this could involve some substance like glue or paste, in other cases, it might simply entail "sticking" one thing onto another via another means, like sewing (as in the example pegar un bóton, or "sew on a button"). Let's take a look at a couple more examples:

Después pegamos los ojos que le hicimos a nuestro personaje.

Afterwards we glue the eyes that we made for him onto our character.

Caption 65, Manos a la obra Separadores de libros: Charmander
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Repartía volantes, pegaba carteles...

I used to give out pamphlets, put up posters...

Caption 42, Felipe Calderón Publicidad - Part 1
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By extension, like in English, the Spanish verb pegar is used to talk about "cutting and pasting" (cortar y pegar) in computer speak.

2. To stick to or burn

Similarly, the reflexive form of pegar, pegarse, is used to talk about things that "stick to" other things and might even be translated as "to burn" or "stick to the pan" in the context of cooking.

Y queremos que la harina no esté muy seca y no muy mojada para que no se pegue a las manos

And, we want for the flour to not be very dry and not very moist so that it doesn't stick to one's hands

Captions 43-44, Dany Arepas - Part 1
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Bueno, entonces vemos que esto se está empezando a pegar al fondo.

Well, so we see that this is starting to stick to the bottom.

Caption 1, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2
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3. To hit, beat, strike, or smack

In contrast to the former meanings, the Spanish verb pegar can also mean to "hit" someone, as in physically striking them:

Ella era muy amorosa, ella nunca... nunca me pegó, ni una palmada ni nada.

She was very loving. She never... never hit me, not a spank or anything.

Caption 2, La Sub30 Familias - Part 11
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Logically, the reflexive form can be used to talk about "hitting," "bumping," or generally hurting oneself:

Hermanito, ¿te pegaste?

Little brother, did you get hurt?

Caption 10, Guillermina y Candelario Una película de terror - Part 3
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4. To give/strike (with certain nouns)

The verb pegar often appears with specific nouns like tiro (shot), bofetón (slap), patada (kick), etc., to talk about specific types of "striking." For example, you might hear that a soccer player le pegó una patada fuerte a la pelota ("gave the ball a good kick") or that someone le pegó un bofetón ("slapped him" or "gave him a slap"). Let's see an example with un tiro:

Calme ese perro o le pego un tiro.

Calm down that dog or I'll shoot him.

Caption 40, Tu Voz Estéreo Laura - Part 6
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5. To strike a spot intensely

The verb pegar in Spanish might be employed to talk about sun, light, or even wind that falls upon (or is particularly frequent in) a particular surface or area:

Porque aquí esta zona, aquí pega mucho viento.

Because this area here, it's very windy here.

Caption 21, Playa Adícora Francisco - Part 3
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6. To give to, pass on, or pick up

The Spanish verb pegar can additionally be utilized to talk about either "giving," in the sense of "transmitting" an illness or habit to someone, or "picking" it "up." Let's look at an example where pegar means "to give":

Traté de evitarlo, pero al final mi novio me ha pegado el COVID.

I tried to avoid it, but in the end, my boyfriend gave me COVID.

Now, let's see an example of the Spanish verb pegar within a no fault se construction to talk about something one "got."

Parece que se te pegó todo lo malo de ese títere de peluche, ¿no?

It seems like everything bad about that stuffed puppet rubbed off on you, right?

Caption 20, La Familia Cheveroni Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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An alternative translation for this sentence might be: "It seems like you picked up everything bad about that stuffed puppet, right?"

7. To pull up, move closer

The verb pegar in Spanish can entail "pulling" something "up" to something else or "moving (it) closer." For example, you might say: "Pegué la cama a la pared" (I pulled up the bed up to the wall). Let's see one more example:

Puedes pegar un poco el brazo hacia ti.

You can bring your arm a bit closer to you.

Caption 21, Bienestar con Elizabeth Activar las articulaciones
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8. To touch

The Spanish verb pegar might also describe the manner in which one thing "touches" another, as in the following example.

Antiguamente el mar pegaba a la muralla.

Previously, the sea touched the wall.

Caption 8, Viajando en Colombia Cartagena en coche - Part 2
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9. To match

Yet another meaning for the verb pegar is "to match," in the sense of things coordinating well with one another.

Esa camisa no pega con ese pantalón.

That shirt doesn't match those pants.

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Slangy Meanings of the Spanish Verb Pegar

In addition to its more traditional uses, the verb pegar can be found in lots of idiomatic expressions and may be used differently in different countries and regions. In the Dominican Republic, for example, it is common to use the Spanish verb pegar to talk about actions that began suddenly, as in the case of "Pegó a correr" (He took off running). In other regions, you might hear expressions like "Me pegó la depresión" (I got depressed) to give us a sense that the speaker was "stricken" by depression, while "Me pegué una siesta" is another way to say "I took a nap."

While the less textbook meanings of the verb pegar can seem endless, here are a smattering of examples whose meanings feel like logical extensions of some of the more traditional definitions we covered:

Era lo que yo había aprendido y entonces, eh, me pegué con ellos

It was what I had learned and so, um, I hooked up with them

Captions 28-29, Willy Entrevista - Part 2
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hoy le pego a ese duraznito de Amalia Durango, ¿oyó?

today I'll hit it with that peach Amalia Durango, you hear?

Caption 11, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 9
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Esto te pega a ti. ¿A ti te gusta?

This one gets your attention. You like it?

Caption 87, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 14
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Yo sólo quiero pegar en la radio

I just want to catch on on the radio

Caption 1, Bacilos Mi Primer Millón
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Although these examples of the many meanings of the Spanish verb pegar are by no means exhaustive, we hope that this lesson has given you insight into many of them and their uses in different contexts. Let us know with your suggestions and comments if you can think of any more!

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Topics Slang and idiomatic expressions Verbs

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From "Sticking" to "Hitting": The Many Meanings of the Spanish Verb Pegar

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1. To paste, glue, or stick on

2. To stick to or burn

3. To hit, beat, strike, or smack

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4. To give/strike (with certain nouns)

5. To strike a spot intensely

6. To give to, pass on, or pick up

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7. To pull up, move closer

8. To touch

9. To match

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Slangy Meanings of the Spanish Verb Pegar

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