Accelerarono

Accelerarono is the third-person plural passato remoto form of the Italian verb accelerare, meaning “they accelerated” or “they sped up.” It is a past tense form used in formal, literary, or historical narration.

Origin and morphology: Accelerare is a regular -are verb. In the passato remoto, its full paradigm for the third-person singular and plural is accelerai, accelerasti, accelerò, accelerammo, acceleraste, accelerarono. The form accelerarono appears when the subject is plural and the action is described as completed in the past, in a register where the passato remoto is appropriate.

Usage: Accelerarono is most commonly found in written Italian, especially in novels, historical accounts, or newspapers aiming for a classic or formal tone. In contemporary spoken Italian, speakers typically use the passato prossimo (hanno accelerato) to express the same idea. The choice between passato remoto and passato prossimo largely depends on regional variation, genre, and the intended stylistic effect.

Examples: In a historical narrative, one might read: “Le vetture accelerarono all’uscita del ponte.” In a modern report written in a literary style: “Le lancette accelerarono, e il tempo sembrò correre.” In everyday language, the same meaning would usually be conveyed with “hanno accelerato.”

See also: Italian verbs, conjugation of irregular and regular -are verbs, passato remoto, passato prossimo.