transcurrieron

Transcurrieron is the third-person plural form of the Spanish verb transcurrir in the pretérito perfecto simple (preterite). It means that time or events passed or elapsed, as in “they elapsed” or “they passed.” The verb focuses on the progression of time or the sequence of events over a period and is commonly used in narrative and descriptive writing.

Etymology and meaning: Transcurrir comes from Latin transcurrere, formed by trans- “across” and currere “to run.” The sense is that time or events run across a span, moving from one point to another. The past tense form transcurrieron indicates a completed passage of time or culmination of events by those subjects.

Usage: Transcurrieron is typically used to describe how a span of time unfolded or how events occurred during a given period. It often appears with expressions of duration, such as dos años, varias horas, or durante la noche. The corresponding singular form transcurrió is used when referring to a single subject or a single period (e.g., “Transcurrió una semana”). It is appropriate in formal, literate, and narrative contexts.

Morphology: Transcurrieron is the preterite (pretérito indefinido) third-person plural of transcurrir. The verb is regular in this tense, with the stem transcur- and the standard -ieron ending. The related forms include transcurro (present), transcurían (imperfect), transcurrido (past participle), and transcurriendo (gerund).

Examples: “Los años transcurrieron sin incidentes.” “Transcurrieron tres días antes de que llegaran las noticias.” “Durante la tarde transcurrieron varios eventos importantes.”

See also: transcurrir, Spanish verb conjugation, time-passage expressions.