Protegimos

Protegimos is a Spanish verb form that serves as the first-person plural preterite (simple past) of the verb proteger, meaning to protect. It corresponds to the English phrase “we protected” or “we did protect” and is used to describe a completed action in the past by a group including the speaker.

Morphology and conjugation notes: Proteger is a regular -er verb in the preterite with a stem that changes in some forms. In the nosotros form protegimos, there is no accent on the stem and the form is straightforward: proteg- + -imos. Other preterite forms include protegí (first person singular) and protegió (third person singular). The word carries the stress on the syllable in line with Spanish pronunciation rules.

Etymology: Proteger derives from Latin protegere, formed from pro- “forward, in front” and tegere “to cover or protect.” The sense evolved through Old and Spanish into the modern verb proteger, with protegimos emerging as one of its past-tense conjugations.

Usage: Protegimos is used to recount actions where a group protected someone or something in the past. It is common in narration, reports, or descriptions of events. It can take direct objects such as personas, bienes, lugares, o comunidades: Protegimos a los voluntarios durante la emergencia; Protegimos nuestras pertenencias durante la mudanza.

Examples:

- Ayer protegimos las casas de los vecinos durante la tormenta.

- Protegimos la información confidencial de accesos no autorizados.

See also: proteger, conjugación de proteger, pretérito indefinido.