Establecí

Establecí is the first-person singular form of the Spanish verb establecer in the pretérito perfecto simple (pretérito). It corresponds to “I established” or “I set up” in English and is used to indicate a completed action in the past, such as founding an institution, creating rules, or fixing a standard.

The verb establecer means to establish, set up, or determine. It is transitive and can take direct objects, for example, a rule, a protocol, a border, or a plan. The form establecí is derived from the stem establec- of establecer plus the regular -í ending of the preterite for -er verbs, with the accent on the í to mark the correct stressed syllable. The full preterite forms are: establecí, estableciste, estableció, establecimos, establecisteis, establecieron.

Etymology traces establecer to Latin stabilire, meaning to make stable, and it entered Spanish with the sense of creating something stable or settled. The noun form related to the verb is establecimiento (establishment), which can refer to the act of establishing or to an established place or institution.

In usage, establecí is common in narratives or historical descriptions and in personal accounts of past actions. It can pair with a variety of complements, such as “una norma,” “un acuerdo,” or “una empresa,” to convey the idea of founding or instituting something. Related forms include estable, establecemos, establecido, and establishment-related compounds.