cortaron

Cortaron is the third-person plural preterite indicative form of the Spanish verb cortar, meaning "they cut." It is used when the subject is ellos, ellas, or ustedes in past narrative. The form is regular for -ar verbs, formed from the stem cort- plus the ending -aron (cortaron). The stress falls on the second syllable, as in kor-TA-ron.

Cortaron expresses a completed past action. It can refer to cutting a tangible object, such as "cortaron el pan" (they cut the bread) or "cortaron la madera" (they cut the wood), or to more figurative or instrumental actions, such as "cortaron el suministro" (they cut off the supply) or "cortaron las relaciones" (they severed relations). The form appears in both everyday speech and written narration and is common in recounting events.

Relation to other tenses: cortaron contrasts with cortaban (imperfect, ongoing past) and cortarán (future). Like all verb forms of cortar, cortaron is gender- and number-neutral beyond the plural subject; the meaning is determined by the context and object of the action.

See also: cortar, Spanish verb conjugation, preterite tense.