infringieron

Infringieron is the third-person plural form of the Spanish verb infringir in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). It means they infringed or violated something, such as a law, regulation, contract, or right. This form is commonly used in narrative or formal writing to describe past acts of violation by a group.

Etymology and meaning: infringir comes from Latin infringere, formed by the prefix in- (on, upon, against) and frangere (to break). The sense is to break or violate a rule, obligation, or standard.

Grammatical notes: infringir is a regular -ir verb in its preterite for the third-person plural form, yielding infringieron. The corresponding forms in other tenses are infringí (yo), infringiste (tú), infringió (él/ella/Ud.), infringimos (nosotros), infringisteis (vosotros). The pronunciation centers on the stressed syllable in infringieron, with the accent on infringieron as needed by Spanish stress rules.

Usage and nuance: Infringieron is used to report or comment on past violations that affect others, institutions, or norms. It is frequently found in legal, journalistic, or academic contexts, though it can appear in everyday narration. It often carries a formal or objective tone, focusing on the action of violating rather than on motives.

Examples (conceptual): “La compañía infringió la normativa ambiental.” “Las normas fueron infringidas por varios trabajadores.” Translation: “They infringed the environmental regulations,” “The rules were infringed by several workers.”

See also: infringir, infracción, violar, quebrantar. Translation note: infringieron translates as “they infringed” or, in the ustedes form, “you infringed.”