espigar

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [əs.piˈɣa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [es.piˈɣaɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [es.piˈɣa]

Verb

espigar (first-person singular present espigo, first-person singular preterite espiguí, past participle espigat)

1. (intransitive, botany) to ear (to put forth ears in growing)

   Synonym: espiguejar

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of espigar (first conjugation, g-gu alternation)

infinitive			espigar
gerund			espigant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		espigat		espigada
		plural		espigats		espigades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	espigo	espigues	espiga	espiguem	espigueu	espiguen
	imperfect	espigava	espigaves	espigava	espigàvem	espigàveu	espigaven
	future	espigaré	espigaràs	espigarà	espigarem	espigareu	espigaran
	preterite	espiguí	espigares	espigà	espigàrem	espigàreu	espigaren
	conditional	espigaria	espigaries	espigaria	espigaríem	espigaríeu	espigarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	espigui	espiguis	espigui	espiguem	espigueu	espiguin
	imperfect	espigués	espiguessis	espigués	espiguéssim	espiguéssiu	espiguessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	espiga	espigui	espiguem	espigueu	espiguin
	negative (no)	—	no espiguis	no espigui	no espiguem	no espigueu	no espiguin

Derived terms

• espigat
• espiguejar

Related terms

• espiga

Further reading

• “espigar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “espigar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “espigar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “espigar”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese espigar (13th century, Cantigas de Santa María), from Latin spīcāre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [espiˈɣaɾ]

Verb

espigar (first-person singular present espigo, first-person singular preterite espiguei, past participle espigado)

1. (transitive) to glean
2. (intransitive, botany) to ear (to put forth ears in growing)
3. (intransitive, figurative) to grow

Conjugation

    Conjugation of espigar (g-gu alternation)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti)	Third-person (el / ela / Vde.)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / Vdes.)
Infinitive
Impersonal	espigar
Personal	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigaren
Gerund
	espigando
Past participle
Masculine	espigado			espigados
Feminine	espigada			espigadas
Indicative
Present	espigo	espigas	espiga	espigamos	espigades	espigan
Imperfect	espigaba	espigabas	espigaba	espigabamos	espigabades	espigaban
Preterite	espiguei	espigaches	espigou	espigamos	espigastes	espigaron
Pluperfect	espigara	espigaras	espigara	espigaramos	espigarades	espigaran
Future	espigarei	espigarás	espigará	espigaremos	espigaredes	espigarán
Conditional	espigaría	espigarías	espigaría	espigariamos	espigariades	espigarían
Subjunctive
Present	espigue	espigues	espigue	espiguemos	espiguedes	espiguen
Imperfect	espigase	espigases	espigase	espigásemos	espigásedes	espigasen
Future	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigaren
Imperative
Affirmative		espiga	espigue	espiguemos	espigade	espiguen
Negative (non)		non espigues	non espigue	non espiguemos	non espiguedes	non espiguen

    Reintegrated conjugation of espigar (g-gu alternation) (See Appendix:Reintegrationism)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (ti / tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	espigar
Personal	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigarem
Gerund
	espigando
Past participle
Masculine	espigado			espigados
Feminine	espigada			espigadas
Indicative
Present	espigo	espigas	espiga	espigamos	espigades, espigais	espigam
Imperfect	espigava	espigavas	espigava	espigávamos	espigávades, espigáveis, espigávais1	espigavam
Preterite	espiguei	espigaste, espigache1	espigou	espigamos	espigastes	espigárom, espigaram
Pluperfect	espigara	espigaras	espigara	espigáramos	espigárades, espigáreis, espigárais1	espigaram
Future	espigarei	espigarás	espigará	espigaremos	espigaredes, espigareis	espigarám, espigarão
Conditional	espigaria	espigarias	espigaria	espigaríamos	espigaríades, espigaríeis, espigaríais1	espigariam
Subjunctive
Present	espigue	espigues	espigue	espiguemos	espiguedes, espigueis	espiguem
Imperfect	espigasse	espigasses	espigasse	espigássemos	espigássedes, espigásseis	espigassem
Future	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigarem
Imperative
Affirmative		espiga	espigue	espiguemos	espigade, espigai	espiguem
Negative (nom)		nom espigues	nom espigue	nom espiguemos	nom espiguedes, nom espigueis	nom espiguem

¹Less recommended.

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “espigar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “espigar”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “espigar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• “espigar”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “espigar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• “espigar”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “espigar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin spīcāre

Old Galician-Portuguese espigar

Portuguese espigar

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese espigar, from Latin spīcāre.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /is.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [is.piˈɡa(h)], /es.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [es.piˈɡa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /is.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [is.piˈɡa(h)], /es.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [es.piˈɡa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /is.piˈɡa(ɾ)/, /es.piˈɡa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /iʃ.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [iʃ.piˈɡa(χ)], /eʃ.piˈɡa(ʁ)/ [eʃ.piˈɡa(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /is.piˈɡa(ɻ)/, /es.piˈɡa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃ.piˈɡaɾ/ [(i)ʃ.piˈɣaɾ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃ.piˈɡaɾ/ [(i)ʃ.piˈɣaɾ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /(i)ʃ.piˈɡa.ɾi/

Verb

espigar (first-person singular present espigo, first-person singular preterite espiguei, past participle espigado)

1. (intransitive) to grow

Conjugation

    Conjugation of espigar (g-gu alternation) (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	espigar
Personal	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigarem
Gerund
	espigando
Past participle
Masculine	espigado			espigados
Feminine	espigada			espigadas
Indicative
Present	espigo	espigas	espiga	espigamos	espigais	espigam
Imperfect	espigava	espigavas	espigava	espigávamos	espigáveis	espigavam
Preterite	espiguei	espigaste	espigou	espigamos1, espigámos2	espigastes	espigaram
Pluperfect	espigara	espigaras	espigara	espigáramos	espigáreis	espigaram
Future	espigarei	espigarás	espigará	espigaremos	espigareis	espigarão
Conditional	espigaria	espigarias	espigaria	espigaríamos	espigaríeis	espigariam
Subjunctive
Present	espigue	espigues	espigue	espiguemos	espigueis	espiguem
Imperfect	espigasse	espigasses	espigasse	espigássemos	espigásseis	espigassem
Future	espigar	espigares	espigar	espigarmos	espigardes	espigarem
Imperative
Affirmative		espiga	espigue	espiguemos	espigai	espiguem
Negative (não)		não espigues	não espigue	não espiguemos	não espigueis	não espiguem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “espigar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “espigar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Derived from Latin spīcāre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /espiˈɡaɾ/ [es.piˈɣ̞aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: es‧pi‧gar

Verb

espigar (first-person singular present espigo, first-person singular preterite espigué, past participle espigado)

1. (transitive) to glean
2. (intransitive, botany) to ear (to put forth ears in growing)

Conjugation

    Conjugation of espigar (g-gu alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			espigar
gerund			espigando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		espigado		espigada
		plural		espigados		espigadas
		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	espigo	espigastú espigásvos	espiga	espigamos	espigáis	espigan
	imperfect	espigaba	espigabas	espigaba	espigábamos	espigabais	espigaban
	preterite	espigué	espigaste	espigó	espigamos	espigasteis	espigaron
	future	espigaré	espigarás	espigará	espigaremos	espigaréis	espigarán
	conditional	espigaría	espigarías	espigaría	espigaríamos	espigaríais	espigarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	espigue	espiguestú espiguésvos2	espigue	espiguemos	espiguéis	espiguen
	imperfect (ra)	espigara	espigaras	espigara	espigáramos	espigarais	espigaran
	imperfect (se)	espigase	espigases	espigase	espigásemos	espigaseis	espigasen
	future1	espigare	espigares	espigare	espigáremos	espigareis	espigaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		espigatú espigávos	espigue	espiguemos	espigad	espiguen
	negative		no espigues	no espigue	no espiguemos	no espiguéis	no espiguen

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

    Selected combined forms of espigar (g-gu alternation)

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 espigar	dative	espigarme	espigarte	espigarle, espigarse	espigarnos	espigaros	espigarles, espigarse
	accusative	espigarme	espigarte	espigarlo, espigarla, espigarse	espigarnos	espigaros	espigarlos, espigarlas, espigarse
with gerund espigando	dative	espigándome	espigándote	espigándole, espigándose	espigándonos	espigándoos	espigándoles, espigándose
	accusative	espigándome	espigándote	espigándolo, espigándola, espigándose	espigándonos	espigándoos	espigándolos, espigándolas, espigándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative espiga	dative	espígame	espígate	espígale	espíganos	not used	espígales
	accusative	espígame	espígate	espígalo, espígala	espíganos	not used	espígalos, espígalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative espigá	dative	espigame	espigate	espigale	espiganos	not used	espigales
	accusative	espigame	espigate	espigalo, espigala	espiganos	not used	espigalos, espigalas
with formal second-person singular imperative espigue	dative	espígueme	not used	espíguele, espíguese	espíguenos	not used	espígueles
	accusative	espígueme	not used	espíguelo, espíguela, espíguese	espíguenos	not used	espíguelos, espíguelas
with first-person plural imperative espiguemos	dative	not used	espiguémoste	espiguémosle	espiguémonos	espiguémoos	espiguémosles
	accusative	not used	espiguémoste	espiguémoslo, espiguémosla	espiguémonos	espiguémoos	espiguémoslos, espiguémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative espigad	dative	espigadme	not used	espigadle	espigadnos	espigaos	espigadles
	accusative	espigadme	not used	espigadlo, espigadla	espigadnos	espigaos	espigadlos, espigadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative espiguen	dative	espíguenme	not used	espíguenle	espíguennos	not used	espíguenles, espíguense
	accusative	espíguenme	not used	espíguenlo, espíguenla	espíguennos	not used	espíguenlos, espíguenlas, espíguense

Derived terms

• espigueo

Related terms

• espiga

Further reading

• “espigar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025