Investigaste

Investigaste is the second-person singular form of the Spanish verb investigar in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). It corresponds to the English you investigated and is used when addressing someone informal as “tú.” It can appear in statements or questions such as “¿Qué investigaste ayer?” or “Tú investigaste ese tema con rigor.”

Etymology and meaning: investigar comes from Latin investigare, meaning to search into or to track. The root vestig- relates to tracking or footprints, with the prefix in- intensifying the sense of examining into a matter. The term entered Spanish via Medieval Latin and evolved into the modern verb used for systematic inquiry and inquiry-based work in science, journalism, law, and everyday contexts.

Conjugation notes: as a regular -ar verb, investigar forms in the pretérito indefinido as: yo investigué, tú investigaste, él/ella/usted investigó, nosotros investigamos, vosotros investigasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes investigaron. The yo form has a spelling change (investigué) to preserve the hard g before the e. “Investigaste” is specifically the tú form; for usted or él, the form is “investigó,” and for ustedes/ellos it is “investigaron.” The vosotros form is “investasteis.”

Usage and nuance: investigate is used for formal or informal inquiry across fields such as academia, journalism, and law. Related verbs include averiguar, examinar, indagar, and inquirer-oriented terms such as investigación (noun) and investigador (person). Example: “¿Qué investigaste para ese informe?” or “Usted investigó las pruebas antes de emitir la declaración.”

See also: investigar, investigación, investigador, indagar, averiguar.