atacó
/ah-tah-KOH/
attacked
Attacked (physical assault or military action).
atacó(Verb)
attacked
?physical assault or military action
,assaulted
?physical assault
charged
?in battle or sport
📝 In Action
El perro atacó al cartero sin razón.
A2The dog attacked the mail carrier for no reason.
El ejército enemigo atacó la ciudad al amanecer.
B1The enemy army attacked the city at dawn.
💡 Grammar Points
Past Action Completed
The form 'atacó' tells you that the action of attacking happened once and finished completely in the past. It uses the Simple Past Tense (Preterite).
Spelling Change Rule
Verbs that end in -car (like atacar) change the 'c' to 'qu' when the next letter is 'e' (like in 'ataqué' for 'I attacked') to keep the hard 'k' sound.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Mispronouncing the 'c'
Mistake: "Pronouncing 'atacó' as 'ata-SOH' (soft 'c')."
Correction: The 'c' before 'a' always makes a hard 'k' sound. Pronounce it 'ata-KOH'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Who did it?
'Atacó' can mean 'he attacked,' 'she attacked,' or 'you (formal) attacked.' You usually need context or the subject (e.g., 'El ladrón') to know who performed the action.
Criticized (verbally attacking someone's ideas).
atacó(Verb)
criticized
?verbally attacking someone's ideas or reputation
lashed out
?sudden strong verbal criticism
📝 In Action
El político atacó la propuesta de su rival en el debate.
B1The politician attacked his rival's proposal in the debate.
Ella atacó su argumento con datos irrefutables.
B2She attacked his argument with irrefutable data.
💡 Grammar Points
Figurative Use
Even though it means 'attack,' when used with words like 'propuesta' (proposal) or 'argumento' (argument), it means to challenge or dismantle those ideas forcefully.
Struck (referring to illness or pain).
atacó(Verb)
struck
?referring to illness or pain
,came on suddenly
?illness or symptoms
hit
?figurative problem
📝 In Action
La gripe lo atacó justo antes de las vacaciones.
B2The flu struck him right before vacation.
Un dolor agudo me atacó el estómago de repente.
C1A sharp pain suddenly hit my stomach.
💡 Grammar Points
Illness as the Subject
In this usage, the illness (like 'la gripe' or 'el dolor') is the active subject performing the action, not the person who is sick.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: atacó
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'atacó' in the figurative sense of sudden illness?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
If 'atacó' means 'he/she/it attacked,' how do I say 'I attacked'?
You would say 'yo ataqué.' Notice the spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' to make sure the verb keeps the hard 'k' sound in the past tense.
Can 'atacó' be used to talk about starting a task, like 'he attacked the project'?
Yes, but it's more common to use other verbs like 'abordó' (he approached/tackled) or 'empezó' (he started). 'Atacó' implies a very aggressive or forceful start.