competí

Competí is the first-person singular form of the preterite indicative of the Spanish verb competir, meaning to compete or to take part in a competition. This form is used to indicate a completed action in the past, often in reference to participating in sports, contests, or other competitive activities. The verb competir comes from Latin competere, literally “to strive together,” and entered Spanish with the sense of contending against others.

In the preterite, the standard paradigm for competir is: yo competí, tú competiste, él compitió, nosotros competimos, vosotros competisteis, ellos compitieron. The yo form competí carries a written accent on the í to indicate the correct stress pattern; the third-person singular form compitió also retains a diaeresis-like stress on the final syllable.

Usage notes: competí is commonly used to recount past experiences of competition or to describe past outcomes in sporting events, contests, or measurable challenges. It typically emphasizes the act of competing rather than simply participating. For broader or more general past participation, verbs such as participé or tomé parte may be used.

Examples: Ayer competí en la carrera y gané un trofeo. En la competencia escolar, competí contra varios equipos y obtuvimos el segundo lugar.

Orthography and pronunciation are standard across Spanish varieties, with the accent marking on the í in competí to indicate the correct stress.