Cualificó

cualificó is the third‑person singular preterite indicative form of the Spanish verb cualificar. The verb cualificar means “to qualify, to rate, to assess, or to deem suitable.” Its grammatical function is to indicate an action completed in the past: “El árbitro cualificó al jugador antes del partido.” The word belongs to the regular -ar verb class; its conjugation follows the pattern of similar verbs such as “realizar” or “finalizar.”

The etymology of cualificar traces back to the Latin verb qualificare, which is itself derived from qualis, meaning “what kind” or “of what kind.” Thus the sense of making something identifiable in terms of its quality or suitability is preserved in modern Spanish. In legal and administrative contexts, cualificó often appears when a magistrate or official confirms the characteristics of a case or a person: “El juez cualificó la infracción como grave.”

In literary usage, the preterite “cualificó” frequently marks a decisive judgment made by a character or narrator, underscoring the authority of the statement. For instance, in a novel about an election, a reporter might say, “El candidato cualificó la campaña como la más justa de las décadas.”

Although “Cualificó” is not widely used as a surname, it can appear in proper names in fiction. The term remains a standard part of Spanish verb conjugation lists, taught alongside other regular -ar verbs, and is searchable in major Spanish dictionaries such as the Real Academia Española, which cites its definition as “haber hecho correspondiente a la cualificación.”