Escaló

Es escaló is the 3rd person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb escalar, meaning to climb or to scale. As a verb form, escaló denotes a completed action in the past, used with subjects such as él, ella, or usted, and is often found in narrative or descriptive writing. The corresponding infinitive, escalar, describes the general action of ascending or rising, whether on a physical surface or in broader contexts.

Etymology and meaning. The verb escalar derives from the noun escala, meaning ladder or scale, which ultimately traces back to Latin scala. In Spanish, escalar can be used for climbing mountains, walls, ropes, or any vertical ascent, as well as in metaphorical senses such as climbing a social or professional ladder.

Usage and nuance. Escaló is commonly used to convey a completed past event, for example, "El alpinista escaló la montaña" (The mountaineer climbed the mountain). It can describe both literal climbing and figurative ascents, such as progressing in a career or rising in rank, though more neutral alternatives like subió or ascendió may be preferred in some contexts. The form is contrasted with escalaba (imperfect) to describe ongoing past action, or escaló como parte de una secuencia narrativa.

Orthography. The accent on escaló marks the stress pattern required by Spanish preterite endings for -ar verbs in the third person singular. It is not a noun or a standalone term; its use is strictly grammatical as a verb form.

See also. Escalar, escalada, escalador, ascensión.