contrastaste

Contrastaste is the second-person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb contrastar, meaning you contrasted. It is used to describe a completed past action in which the listener compared two or more elements to show differences or similarities. The verb contrastar comes from Latin contrastāre, formed from contra- “against” and stare “to stand,” and shares the root with the noun contraste.

As a regular -ar verb, contrastar follows the standard preterite endings: contrasté, contrastaste, contrastó, contrastamos, contrastasteis, contrastaron. The form contrastaste is used with the pronoun tú. It is common in narrative and descriptive writing, journalism, and academic prose when recounting or analyzing past comparisons.

Examples include: "Ayer contrastaste dos enfoques en el informe." and "Al comparar las pruebas, contrastaste las conclusiones con los datos." Another common usage is in questions or reflective statements: "¿Qué aspectos contrastaste entre las opciones?" These illustrate how contrastaste functions to signal a past act of comparison performed by the listener.

Notes: In some contexts, synonyms such as comparar can be used, but contrastaste emphasizes the act of drawing differences or distinctions rather than a mere comparison.

Related terms include contrastar (to contrast), contraste (contrast as a noun), and contrastante (adjective meaning contrasting).