anteceden

Anteceden is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb anteceder, which means to precede or to come before in time, order, or importance. The verb is of Latin origin, from ante- "before" and cedere "to go" or "to yield," and it is used in both formal and everyday language to indicate that one event, fact, or element occurs prior to another.

Usage and examples: Anteceden is used when the subject of the sentence performs the action of preceding. For example, in a chronological account, one might say: "Los hechos que anteceden a la resolución deben aclararse." Conjugation examples in the present tense include yo antecedo, tú antecedes, él antecede, nosotros antecedemos, vosotros antecedéis, ellos anteceden. The form anteceden appears when the subject is plural, as in "Los hechos que anteceden a la decisión deben ser revisados."

Related terms and distinctions: Anteceden is a verb form, not a noun. The related noun antecedente refers to a preceding fact or background, and is used in phrases like "antecedentes históricos" or "antecedentes penales." The pair anteceder and antecedente is common in academic, legal, and historical writing to discuss sequence, causality, or context.

See also: antecedente, anteceder, temporal sequence.