encarecieron

Encarecieron is the third-person plural preterite indicative form of the Spanish verb "encarecer." The verb "encarecer" generally translates to "to make more expensive" or "to raise the price of." Therefore, "encarecieron" describes an action that occurred in the past where a group of people or things caused something to become more expensive.

For instance, in an economic context, one might say "Los comerciantes encarecieron los productos básicos" which translates to "The merchants made the basic products more expensive." This implies that the merchants took actions that resulted in higher prices for essential goods. Similarly, it could refer to natural events or circumstances that led to increased costs, such as "Las lluvias tardías encarecieron las cosechas" meaning "The late rains made the harvests more expensive." The plural subject performing the action is key to the use of "encarecieron." The verb is often used in discussions about inflation, supply and demand, and market fluctuations where prices are observed to increase due to the actions of multiple agents or factors.