pelear

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.leˈa(ʁ)/ [pe.leˈa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.leˈa(ʁ)/ [pe.leˈa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /pe.leˈa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /pe.leˈa(ʁ)/ [pe.leˈa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /pe.leˈa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨˈljaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨˈljaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨˈlja.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: pe‧le‧ar

Verb

pelear (first-person singular present peleio, first-person singular preterite peleei, past participle peleado)

1. (South Brazil) alternative form of pelejar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of pelear (e becomes ei when stressed) (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	pelear
Personal	pelear	peleares	pelear	pelearmos	peleardes	pelearem
Gerund
	peleando
Past participle
Masculine	peleado			peleados
Feminine	peleada			peleadas
Indicative
Present	peleio	peleias	peleia	peleamos	peleais	peleiam
Imperfect	peleava	peleavas	peleava	peleávamos	peleáveis	peleavam
Preterite	peleei	peleaste	peleou	peleamos1, peleámos2	peleastes	pelearam
Pluperfect	peleara	pelearas	peleara	peleáramos	peleáreis	pelearam
Future	pelearei	pelearás	peleará	pelearemos	peleareis	pelearão
Conditional	pelearia	pelearias	pelearia	pelearíamos	pelearíeis	peleariam
Subjunctive
Present	peleie	peleies	peleie	peleemos	peleeis	peleiem
Imperfect	peleasse	peleasses	peleasse	peleássemos	peleásseis	peleassem
Future	pelear	peleares	pelear	pelearmos	peleardes	pelearem
Imperative
Affirmative		peleia	peleie	peleemos	peleai	peleiem
Negative (não)		não peleies	não peleie	não peleemos	não peleeis	não peleiem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “pelear”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “pelear”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

From pelo (“hair”) +‎ -ear, in the sense of close physical combat, as in the expression agarrarse de las greñas (“to fight”, literally “to grab each others' matted locks”). Compare the semantic development of Romanian părui (“to fight by pulling hair”) from Romanian păr (“hair”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peleˈaɾ/ [pe.leˈaɾ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: pe‧le‧ar

Verb

pelear (first-person singular present peleo, first-person singular preterite peleé, past participle peleado)

1. (intransitive) to fight (to contend in physical conflict)

   Synonyms: luchar, lidiar, bregar

2. (intransitive) to fight, to argue

   Synonym: discutir

3. (intransitive) to fight for, to struggle against

   Synonyms: batallar, combatir, luchar, bregar

   • 2022 December 21, Beatriz Serrano, “Los 85 años de Jane Fonda: de estrella de Hollywood a superestrella del activismo”, in El País‎:

     Sin embargo, se rebeló contra su destino cuando encontró motivos para pelear por un mundo mejor[.]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. (reflexive) to mutually fight

   Synonyms: luchar, reñir, (Mexico) madrearse

5. (reflexive, by extension) to discord or dispute; to become enemies

   Synonym: enemistarse

6. (reflexive, by extension) to lose or stop, temporally or definitively, a friendship, partnership, etc.

   Synonym: enojarse

Conjugation

    Conjugation of pelear (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			pelear
gerund			peleando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		peleado		peleada
		plural		peleados		peleadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	peleo	peleastú peleásvos	pelea	peleamos	peleáis	pelean
	imperfect	peleaba	peleabas	peleaba	peleábamos	peleabais	peleaban
	preterite	peleé	peleaste	peleó	peleamos	peleasteis	pelearon
	future	pelearé	pelearás	peleará	pelearemos	pelearéis	pelearán
	conditional	pelearía	pelearías	pelearía	pelearíamos	pelearíais	pelearían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	pelee	peleestú peleésvos2	pelee	peleemos	peleéis	peleen
	imperfect (ra)	peleara	pelearas	peleara	peleáramos	pelearais	pelearan
	imperfect (se)	pelease	peleases	pelease	peleásemos	peleaseis	peleasen
	future1	peleare	peleares	peleare	peleáremos	peleareis	pelearen
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		peleatú peleávos	pelee	peleemos	pelead	peleen
	negative		no pelees	no pelee	no peleemos	no peleéis	no peleen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of pelear

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive pelear	dative	pelearme	pelearte	pelearle, pelearse	pelearnos	pelearos	pelearles, pelearse
	accusative	pelearme	pelearte	pelearlo, pelearla, pelearse	pelearnos	pelearos	pelearlos, pelearlas, pelearse
with gerund peleando	dative	peleándome	peleándote	peleándole, peleándose	peleándonos	peleándoos	peleándoles, peleándose
	accusative	peleándome	peleándote	peleándolo, peleándola, peleándose	peleándonos	peleándoos	peleándolos, peleándolas, peleándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative pelea	dative	peléame	peléate	peléale	peléanos	not used	peléales
	accusative	peléame	peléate	peléalo, peléala	peléanos	not used	peléalos, peléalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative peleá	dative	peleame	peleate	peleale	peleanos	not used	peleales
	accusative	peleame	peleate	pelealo, peleala	peleanos	not used	pelealos, pelealas
with formal second-person singular imperative pelee	dative	peléeme	not used	peléele, peléese	peléenos	not used	peléeles
	accusative	peléeme	not used	peléelo, peléela, peléese	peléenos	not used	peléelos, peléelas
with first-person plural imperative peleemos	dative	not used	peleémoste	peleémosle	peleémonos	peleémoos	peleémosles
	accusative	not used	peleémoste	peleémoslo, peleémosla	peleémonos	peleémoos	peleémoslos, peleémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative pelead	dative	peleadme	not used	peleadle	peleadnos	peleaos	peleadles
	accusative	peleadme	not used	peleadlo, peleadla	peleadnos	peleaos	peleadlos, peleadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative peleen	dative	peléenme	not used	peléenle	peléennos	not used	peléenles, peléense
	accusative	peléenme	not used	peléenlo, peléenla	peléennos	not used	peléenlos, peléenlas, peléense

Derived terms

• pelea
• peleador

Further reading

• “pelear”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Anagrams

• pelare, pelaré, repela