complicó

Complicó is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb complicar in the preterite indicative. It denotes that someone or something (él, ella, or usted in formal address) made a situation more complex, difficult, or involved in the past. As a preterite form, it signals a completed action.

Grammatical notes: Complicar is an -ar verb, and its preterite endings for the third person singular are -ó, yielding complicó. The form is commonly used with subjects such as él, ella, or usted to describe past events that changed the state of affairs by adding complications.

Etymology: Complicar comes from the combination of com- (together) and complicare, from Latin acroasis to fold or entwine, and has developed in Spanish to mean to make something more complex or entangled.

Usage and nuance: Complicó often implies that an action increased complexity, confusion, or difficulty. It can be used with direct objects (la situación, el proceso, el viaje) or with idiomatic constructions where a previously simple matter became problematic.

Related forms: The base verb is complicar; related terms include complicación (noun: complication), complicado (adjective: complicated), and complicadamente (adverb: in a complicated manner). The imperfect and other tenses of complicar yield related forms such as complicaba, complicaría, complicará, etc.

See also: complicar, complicación, complicado, complicadamente.

Examples:

- La lluvia complicó el viaje. (The rain made the trip more difficult.)

- El comité complicó el proceso al exigir más documentos.