How to Say "attacked" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “attacked” is “atacó” — use 'atacó' when referring to a specific instance of a person or animal physically attacking someone or something in the past..
atacó
ah-tah-KOH/a.taˈko/
Examples
El perro atacó al cartero sin razón.
The dog attacked the mail carrier for no reason.
El ejército enemigo atacó la ciudad al amanecer.
The enemy army attacked the city at dawn.
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.
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'.
atacado
/ah-tah-KAH-doh//ataˈkaðo/
Examples
El castillo fue atacado por el ejército enemigo.
The castle was attacked by the enemy army.
El bosque está atacado por una plaga de insectos.
The forest is afflicted by an insect plague.
El equipo nunca había atacado con tanta fuerza.
The team had never attacked with such force.
Ella dice que el perro la ha atacado dos veces.
She says the dog has attacked her twice.
Passive Voice
In this meaning, 'atacado' is often used to describe the recipient of an action, like 'The city was attacked' (La ciudad fue atacada).
Perfect Tenses
The past participle ('atacado') is the second part of perfect tenses, always following a form of the helping verb 'haber.' It never changes its ending (it stays -o) when used this way.
Incorrect Agreement
Mistake: “La mujer ha atacada a un hombre.”
Correction: La mujer ha atacado a un hombre. (The past participle used with 'haber' never agrees with the subject; it stays 'atacado').
atacado
Examples
El equipo nunca había atacado con tanta fuerza.
The team had never attacked with such force.
Verb vs. Adjective
Related Translations
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