Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| golpear | /ɡolpeˈaɾ/ | |
| pegarle | /peɡaɾle/ (from spelling rules) | |
| batir | /baˈtiɾ/ | |
| darle | /ˈdaɾle/ | |
| fajar | /faˈxaɾ/ | |
| fajear | /faxeaɾ/ (from spelling rules) | |
| arrear | /areˈaɾ/ | |
| atizarle | /atiθaɾle/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /atisaɾle/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
|
| asestarle | /asestaɾle/ (from spelling rules) | |
| cinchonear | /θint͡ʃoneaɾ/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /sint͡ʃoneaɾ/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Central America |
The word golpear is a general term for hitting or striking. In the context of cooking or music, batir is used to mean hit or beat, such as whisking ingredients or beating a drum, rather than physical violence. In baseball, the terms hit, jit or imparable are used to describe a complete play where the batter reaches base.
Which one should you use?
While golpear is a general term for striking, pegar is more common in everyday speech when describing hitting a person or an object. Asestarle is more specific than golpear, as it implies successfully landing a heavy or decisive blow. Batir should be used for whisking or beating a drum instead of physical strikes against people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Fajear is a colloquial way to describe hitting or fighting someone. For a more formal way to say "to deliver a blow to", you can use the phrase Propinar un golpe a.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Cinchonear is used in Central America.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡolpeˈaɾ/
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, the word pegar can mean both 'to hit' and 'to glue' or 'to stick' things together.
- While golpear refers to the act of hitting, the noun golpe is used to describe a 'coup d'état' or a sudden political takeover.
- While batir is used for whisking eggs, it is also the formal term used in sports to 'break' or 'hit' a world record.
Examples in context
- ¿Con qué te golpearon?What did they hit you with?This sentence is useful for asking about the object used to perform the action with golpear.Tatoeba #968701 by Shishir, translation #968248 by CM
- Vi a Tom pegarle a Mary.I saw Tom hit Mary.This sentence is useful for describing an observed act of hitting someone with pegarle.Tatoeba #1715995 by marcelostockle, translation #1030122 by CK
- ¿Usted acaba de pegarle?Did you just hit him?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has just hit a person with pegarle.Tatoeba #4483915 by cueyayotl, translation #3914688 by CH
- Darle al balónTo hit the ball
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about a car accident they witnessed.
- SofíaEl coche rojo llegó a golpear el poste.The red car ended up hitting the post.
- DanielSí, fue un choque muy fuerte.Yes, it was a very strong crash.
- SofíaMe asusté al ver golpear el vehículo así.I got scared seeing the vehicle hit like that.
- DanielMenos mal que nadie salió herido, Sofía.Luckily nobody was injured, Sofía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hit” translations and entries golpear, pegarle, batir, darle, fajar, fajear, arrear, atizarle, asestarle, cinchonear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
