arrestaron
ah-rreh-STAH-rohn
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
La policía llegó rápido y arrestaron a los tres sospechosos.
B1The police arrived quickly and they arrested the three suspects.
¿Quiénes fueron? ¿Ustedes arrestaron al ladrón o fue otro equipo?
B2Who was it? Did you all arrest the thief or was it another team?
Dicen que los agentes los arrestaron sin darles una explicación.
C1They say the agents arrested them without giving them an explanation.
💡 Grammar Points
The Simple Past (Preterite)
This form, 'arrestaron', is used when talking about a single action that was completed and finished at a specific time in the past. It tells the story of what happened.
Who is 'arrestaron'?
This ending means the action was done by 'ellos' (they, masculine or mixed group), 'ellas' (they, feminine), or 'ustedes' (you all, formal). Context usually tells you which group is meant.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Using 'arrestaban' (imperfect) instead of 'arrestaron'."
Correction: Use 'arrestaron' for a closed, specific event ('They arrested him yesterday'). Use 'arrestaban' only to describe an ongoing or habitual past action ('They used to arrest people often').
⭐ Usage Tips
Focus on the 'o'
The strong 'o' sound in the third-person preterite ('arrestó', 'arrestaron') is a great marker for finished actions in the past.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
imperfect
present
preterite
subjunctive
imperfect
present
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: arrestaron
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'arrestaron'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if 'arrestaron' means 'they arrested' or 'you all arrested'?
You need context! In most of Spain, 'arrestaron' almost always means 'they arrested (ellos/ellas)'. In Latin America, it can mean either 'they arrested' or the formal 'you all arrested (ustedes)', so listen to who the speaker is addressing.
Is 'arrestaron' a regular verb?
Yes, 'arrestar' is a regular verb. This means it follows the standard pattern for verbs that end in -ar, making its conjugations predictable and easy to learn.