Faltaron

Faltaron is the third-person plural preterite form of the Spanish verb faltar. It expresses that something or someone was missing, absent, or lacking in a past situation. The subject is implicit and inferred from context, typically referring to people, items, information, or time.

In usage, faltaron is commonly employed to describe absence or nonattendance, as in missing guests or players: “Faltaron varios invitados a la reunión” or “Faltaron dos jugadores para completar la plantilla.” It also covers deficiencies or lack of data, evidence, or ingredients: “Faltaron datos en el informe,” “faltaron pruebas para sustentar la tesis,” or “faltaron ingredientes para la receta.” Time-related meanings are frequent as well, such as when indicating remaining time: “faltaron diez minutos para terminar” (ten minutes remained). The expression can be impersonal or introduce a complement with prepositions like para or a.

Examples illustrate its versatility: “En la lista faltaron algunos nombres,” meaning some names were missing from the list; “Me faltaron palabras,” conveying a moment of speechlessness or inability to respond; and “faltaron recursos para llevar a cabo el proyecto,” indicating a lack of resources.

Notes on nuance: faltaron often conveys a completed past action localized in time, with a focus on absence or deficiency rather than action performed by the subjects. It contrasts with faltar in other tenses, such as falta (present) or faltó (singular preterite).