respondió

Respondió is the third-person singular form of the Spanish verb responder in the pretérito indefinido (simple past). It translates to “he answered,” “she answered,” or “you (formal) answered.” The form is used to describe a completed action in the past and is common in narrative and reporting contexts.

Conjugation context and pattern: Respondió follows the regular -er verb endings in the pretérito for the él/ella/usted subject. The full conjugation in the pretérito indefinido is: yo respondí, tú respondiste, él/ella/usted respondió, nosotros respondimos, vosotros respondisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes respondieron. The accent on the final syllable in respondió marks the standard stress pattern for this tense and form.

Usage and nuance: Respondió is used when indicating a past act of replying or answering a question, a request, or a statement. It can take a direct object, as in “El profesor respondió la pregunta,” or function in indirect discourse, such as “Dijo que respondió.” While it is synonymous with contestar in many contexts, responder emphasizes providing a response rather than merely giving a direct answer, and it is common in formal or written Spanish.

Etymology and related forms: Respondió derives from responder, which comes from Latin respondēre, from re- plus spondēre. Related forms include la respuesta (the answer), responder (to respond), and respuesta as a noun. In contrast, contestar is another common verb meaning “to answer” or “to answer back,” with slightly different nuances.

See also: Responder, Contestar, Respuesta, Pretérito indefinido.