nació
nah-SYOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Mi abuela nació en 1945 en un pueblo pequeño.
A1My grandmother was born in 1945 in a small town.
La idea de la empresa nació durante un viaje a Asia.
B1The idea for the company originated during a trip to Asia.
El movimiento por la paz nació de una protesta estudiantil.
B2The peace movement arose from a student protest.
💡 Grammar Points
Past Tense for Specific Events
"Nació" uses the simple past (preterite) tense because it refers to a single, completed action that happened at a specific time in the past (the moment of birth).
Using 'Nació' vs. 'Era'
Use 'nació' for the birth date or place (the action). Use the imperfect 'era' or 'fue' to describe the person's characteristics or state after they were born: 'Nació en Madrid, pero fue un hombre de mundo' (He was born in Madrid, but he was a man of the world).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Mixing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Mi hermana nacía en 1990."
Correction: Mi hermana nació en 1990. (The imperfect 'nacía' is wrong here; birth is a single, non-repeated event, so use the simple past 'nació'.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Remember the Accent Mark
The accent on the 'o' (nació) is crucial. Without it (nacio), it's not a valid Spanish word. The accent tells you to stress the last syllable.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: nació
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'nació'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'nació' have an accent mark?
The accent mark on the 'ó' is essential! It tells you that the stress falls on the last syllable. This is typical for simple past verb forms (preterite) in the 'él/ella/usted' person for all -ar and -er/-ir verbs.
Is 'nació' always about birth?
Not always literally! While its main use is for the start of a life, it's very commonly used metaphorically to mean 'originated' or 'came into being,' such as when talking about a song, a company, or a tradition.