provocó

Provocó is the third-person singular form in the pretérito indefinido (simple past) of the Spanish verb provocar. It corresponds to él, ella or usted provó? Wait correction: correct form is provocó. It indicates that a person or entity performed the action of provoking in the past. The full conjugation of provocar in the pretérito indefinido is: provoqué, provocaste, provocó, provocamos, provocasteis, provocaron. The form provocó is used for both the third-person singular and the formal second-person in certain regional usages.

Provocar, from Latin provocare (to call forth, to challenge), means to cause or induce a result or reaction, to incite or stimulate. In Spanish, its senses include causing physical effects (un accidente que provocó daños), triggering events (la lluvia provocó inundaciones) and inciting reactions or emotions (provocó risas, provocó indignación). It can be used transitively with a direct object or with prepositional phrases such as provocar a alguien (to provoke someone).

Usage notes: provocó is employed in narrative and descriptive contexts to indicate a completed past action that led to a consequence. It can carry neutral, positive, or negative connotations depending on context. The verb supports various complements: provocar un cambio, provocar un conflicto, provocar a alguien with a direct accusative or a target indicated by a preposition.

Examples:

- La caída de la bolsa provocó volatilidad en el mercado.

- El discurso provocó una reacción inmediata en la audiencia.

- Provocó a sus oponentes con gestos desafiantes, lo que escaló la confrontación.

Provocó thus functions as a common past-tense descriptor of causation or elicitation in Spanish, with wide-ranging applicability across formal and informal registers.