Esparcí

Esparcí is the first-person singular preterite (past) form of the Spanish verb esparcir, which means to scatter, spread, or disperse. It is used to describe a completed action in the past in which the subject distributed something over an area or across a space, whether tangible or abstract.

Etymology: Esparcir derives from Latin spargere, meaning “to scatter,” and entered Spanish through Old Spanish. It has cognates in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese espalhar.

Conjugation and usage: Esparcir is a regular -cir verb in the preterite. The forms are yo esparcí, tú esparciste, él esparció, nosotros esparcimos, vosotros esparcisteis, ellos esparcieron. In sentences, esparcí is commonly followed by a direct object, as in “Ayer esparcí las semillas en el jardín.” The verb can also be used with abstract objects, for example, “esparcir rumores” or “esparcir ideas.”

Context and nuance: In everyday language, esparcir covers both physical spreading—seeds, polvo, flores— and figurative spreading, such as information or rumors. It is often contrasted with verbs such as difundir, repartir, or dispersar, depending on the nuance (width of distribution, intentionality, or locality).

See also: esparcir, dispersar, difundir.