pelear

Portuguese

Verb

1. (South Brazil) Alternative form of pelejar

---

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)

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

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

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú 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 tú 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 vos 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 (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

Anagrams

• pelare, pelaré, repela