disparó
/dee-spah-ROH/
he shot
Depicting the action: he shot.
disparó(Verb)
he shot
?action completed in the past
,she fired
?using a weapon
it went off
?referring to a gun or mechanism
📝 In Action
El guardia disparó al aire para asustar a los ladrones.
B1The guard shot into the air to scare the thieves.
Dicen que el arma se disparó accidentalmente.
B2They say the weapon fired accidentally.
💡 Grammar Points
The Preterite Tense
The form 'disparó' tells us that the action of shooting or firing happened completely in the past and is finished. It's used for single, completed events.
⭐ Usage Tips
Focus on the Actor
Since 'disparó' can mean 'he,' 'she,' 'it,' or 'you (formal)' shot, you often need context or the actual subject (El ladrón, La policía) to know who did the action.
Depicting the action: he set off the mechanism.
disparó(Verb)
he/she/it set off
?an alarm or mechanism
,he/she/it triggered
?a reaction or event
📝 In Action
El movimiento disparó la alarma de seguridad.
B2The movement set off the security alarm.
Su comentario disparó una discusión acalorada.
C1His comment triggered a heated discussion.
💡 Grammar Points
Figurative Use
In this sense, 'disparó' is used figuratively, meaning the subject caused something to start suddenly, like a chain reaction or an unexpected noise.
Depicting the rapid increase: it soared.
📝 In Action
La escasez disparó el precio del combustible la semana pasada.
C1The shortage caused the price of fuel to skyrocket last week.
El informe disparó las ventas de la compañía en un 30%.
C1The report shot up the company's sales by 30%.
💡 Grammar Points
Economic Language
When talking about money or statistics, 'disparó' is a strong verb that means something didn't just go up, it went up very quickly and unexpectedly.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: disparó
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'disparó' in its figurative sense of 'increasing rapidly'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'disparó' used only for guns?
No. While its most literal meaning is 'he/she fired a gun,' it is very commonly used for setting off alarms ('disparó la alarma') or for prices or numbers that rise suddenly ('disparó los precios').
How do I know if 'disparó' means 'he shot' or 'it shot'?
You need to look at the subject. If the subject is a person (El hombre), it means 'he shot.' If the subject is an object that can act independently (El arma, El precio), it means 'it fired' or 'it soared.'