gastó

Gastó is the third-person singular preterite form of the Spanish verb gastar. The verb means to spend or use up resources, typically money, time, or effort. It is used to describe a completed action in the past and is common in both written and spoken Spanish. The corresponding forms are gasté, gastaste, gastó, gastamos, gastasteis, gastaron. The accents on gasté and gastó indicate stress in the preterite.

Origins and related forms: gastar is a regular -ar verb, and its noun form gasto refers to an expense or the amount spent. The word is of Romance origin and is linked to other terms describing consumption or expenditure in related languages and dialects.

Usage notes: Gastó describes a completed past spending event, as opposed to gastaba, which expresses habitual or ongoing past spending (imperfect). It can take direct objects such as dinero, tiempo, esfuerzo, or recursos: "gastó dinero," "gastó mucho tiempo," "gastó esfuerzo." It is compatible with a variety of constructions, including phrases like gastar en algo, gastar recursos, or incluso con se gastó for reflexive/passive-like meanings in phrases such as "se gastó todo el presupuesto" (where the emphasis is on the total consumption of resources).

Translations and examples: In English, gastó is typically translated as "spent." Examples: "Él gastó todo su dinero en el viaje." "Ella gastó demasiado tiempo en esa tarea."

See also: gastar, gasto, gasto (nombre), pretérito indefinido, imperfecto.