cubrió

Cubrió is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb cubrir in the pretérito perfecto simple (simple past). It translates to "he covered," "she covered," or "you covered" in the formal sense (usted cubrió). It is used to describe completed actions in the past where a surface or space was covered by some object or material.

Etymology and related forms: cubrir comes from Latin cooperire, meaning to cover. In modern Spanish, cubrir is a regular -ir verb in many tenses but has a distinctive preterite form: cubrí, cubriste, cubrió, cubrimos, cubristeis, cubrieron. The form cubrió carries an acute accent on the final syllable to mark the stress in the third-person singular. The imperfect tense is cubría, cubrías, cubría, cubríamos, cubríais, cubrían, used for ongoing or habitual past actions.

Usage and senses: cubrió is used for physical acts of covering, such as placing a lid over a container, a blanket over a bed, or paint over a surface. It is also used metaphorically or in journalism and media to mean “covered” as in reporting on a topic: un reportero cubrió la historia. In conditional or subjunctive moods, related forms appear as cubriera, cubriese, etc., depending on tense and voice.

Examples:

- Ayer, Juan cubrió la mesa con una lona.

- El techo fue cubierto por una capa de nieve.

- La periodista cubrió la noticia desde la sala de prensa.

Notes: cubrió distinguishes from cúbrió, a different word meaning “crystal lattice” in sciences, though that term is rarely used in ordinary Spanish. When conjugating, remember the accent placement and the stem cubr- across the preterite forms.