pactaron

Pactaron is the third-person plural form of the Spanish verb pactar in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). It denotes that a group of subjects reached an agreement or made a pact in the past, and it can be translated as they agreed or you all agreed in contexts where the tú or vosotros forms are not used. Pactar means to reach an agreement, to bargain, or to commit to terms, often in legal, political, business, or interpersonal settings.

Etymology and form: Pactar comes from Latin pactum meaning agreement, through the development of Spanish. The noun pacto also derives from the same root. Pactaron corresponds to ellos/ellas/ustedes as the subject in the past tense in most Spanish varieties; in Spain, ustedes may still use the same form pactaron when addressing a group.

Usage and nuance: Pactaron is commonly used in news reports, contracts, negotiations, and everyday speech to summarize a past agreement. It is a transitive verb and is typically followed by a direct object such as un acuerdo, un pacto, or una tregua (for example, un tratado).

Examples: Las partes pactaron un acuerdo de cooperación. Los países pactaron un alto al fuego.

See also: pactar, pacto, acuerdo.