ayudaron

Ayudaron is the third-person plural form of the Spanish verb ayudar in the pretérito simple (simple past). It means they helped or you all helped, depending on the subject pronoun used. The form also corresponds to ustedes in many dialects, as in “Ustedes ayudaron.”

About its grammar, ayudar is a regular -ar verb. In the pretérito simple, the endings for ellos/ellas/ustedes are -aron, yielding ayudaron. This tense describes a completed action in the past. It is distinct from the imperfect form ayudaban, which would mean they were helping or they used to help.

Usage and context, ayudaron is common in narratives, reports, and everyday speech when recounting past assistance. It can be followed by a direct object or by a phrase with a, such as a alguien, and it often appears with a or an infinitive to indicate the act of helping with a task: ayudaron a terminar el proyecto, ayudaron a construir la casa, etc.

Examples:

- Ellos ayudaron a los heridos en la accidentes.

- Ustedes ayudaron a terminar la tarea antes de la hora límite.

Notes:

- In informal Spain, the second-person plural is vosotros ayudasteis; ayudaron refers to ellos/ellas or ustedes.

- Ayudaron describes a completed past action; for ongoing or habitual past actions, other tenses like ayudaban would be used.