comparaste

Comparaste is the second-person singular form of the Spanish verb comparar in the preterite indicative. It translates as “you compared” and is used to describe a completed action of comparing that occurred in the past.

Etymology and form: comparar comes from Latin comparare, meaning to bring together or to compare. The form comparaste is created by adding the tú-preterite ending -aste to the stem compar-.

Usage: used to indicate that the subject evaluated two or more items at a specific past moment. It is typically followed by the object being compared and, in many cases, by the preposition con to link the items (comparar A con B). Example: “Ayer comparaste el precio de esos dos teléfonos.” Another example: “En la reunión comparaste las opciones y elegiste la más barata.”

Grammatical notes: comparaste is regular for -ar verbs in the preterite. Other related forms include yo comparé, él comparó, nosotros comparamos, and vosotros comparasteis. The imperfect form is comparabas, used for ongoing past actions.

See also: related terms include comparar (to compare) and comparación (comparison). These terms cover the broader set of activities around evaluating similarities and differences between items.