intensifiqué

Intensifiqué is the first-person singular form of the Spanish verb intensificar in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). The phrase translates to “I intensified” or “I heightened,” and it marks a completed action in the past in which the degree of intensity was increased.

Etymology and meaning: Intensificar comes from Latin intensificare, built from the prefix in- (into, toward) and the stem tensific- from intensus “stretched, strained,” combined with the suffix -are. The overall sense is “to make more intense” or “to increase the intensity of something.” In Spanish, the verb conveys increasing magnitude, strength, or prominence of a quality, action, or condition.

Conjugation and orthography: Intensificar is a regular verb of the -car group, so its first-person singular preterite form is intensifiqué, written with an accent on the é to preserve the /ki/ sound before e. Other preterite forms are intensificaste, intensificó, intensificamos, intensificasteis, and intensificaron.

Usage: The form is used to describe past actions where an intensity level was raised. It is commonly applied to efforts, flavors, volumes, emotions, or campaigns. Examples: “A partir de ese mes intensifiqué mis esfuerzos para terminar el proyecto.” “El chef intensificó el sabor de la salsa.”

See also: intensificar; pretérito indefinido; Spanish conjugation patterns.