agruparon

Agruparon is a form of the Spanish verb agrupar, used to indicate that a group of people or things was brought together or organized into groups in the past. It corresponds to the third person plural in the pretérito imperfecto simple (pretérito indefinido) and can be used for both "ellos/ellas" and "ustedes" depending on regional variation.

Etymology and form: agrupar is derived from the noun grupo (group) plus the verb suffix -ar, with the prefix a- contributing a sense of action toward or into a state. The form agruparon follows the regular -ar verb conjugation in the preterite: agrupé, agrupaste, agrupó, agrupamos, agruparon.

Usage and grammar: agrupar is transitive and requires a direct object or a phrase indicating what is being grouped. It is commonly used in narrative recounting of past events, reports, and instructions. The preterite agruparon emphasizes a completed action: they formed or gathered into groups, rather than describing a ongoing process.

Examples:

- Los investigadores agruparon las muestras por tamaño y procedencia.

- Durante la asamblea, las personas agruparon a los asistentes por secciones para facilitar la organización.

Notes: In many Spanish-speaking regions, agruparon can appear in contexts where ustedes or ellos are the subject, depending on the interlocutor and register. The noun form agrupamiento, or the adjective agrupado, are related derivatives used to describe the act or result of grouping.