Confirmaron el extravío y preguntaron por el paradero.

Both are in the preterite tense, third person plural.

• confirmaron = they confirmed
• preguntaron = they asked

The preterite is used because the sentence presents these actions as completed events in the past. It sounds like a report of what happened: first they confirmed something, then they asked about something.

If the sentence used the imperfect instead, it would suggest background, repetition, or an ongoing situation, which is not the idea here.

The subject is an unstated they: they confirmed the loss/misplacement and asked about the whereabouts.

In Spanish, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number. Here, -aron tells you it is third person plural, so the subject could be:

• ellos
• ellas
• ustedes

Which one it is depends on context.

Because Spanish usually does not need subject pronouns unless the speaker wants emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

So:

• Confirmaron el extravío is the normal way to say it.
• Ellos confirmaron el extravío would add emphasis, as in they confirmed it.

English usually requires the subject, but Spanish often leaves it out.

Extravío is a noun meaning loss, misplacement, or disappearance, depending on context.

It often appears in fairly formal, administrative, legal, or official language. For example, it can refer to:

• the loss of a document
• the misplacement of an object
• the disappearance of something

So confirmaron el extravío sounds more formal than a very everyday phrasing.

Yes. Extravío comes from extraviar, which means to lose, to misplace, or sometimes to lead astray.

A very common related form is extraviarse, which can mean:

• to get lost
• to go missing

Examples:

• Se extravió el paquete = The package went missing
• Extravié las llaves = I misplaced the keys

So el extravío is the noun form referring to the loss/misplacement.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English might not, especially when talking about a specific known thing or a concept already understood in context.

Here:

• el extravío = the loss / the disappearance / the misplacement
• el paradero = the whereabouts

The article makes them sound like specific matters under discussion, not just general ideas.

Because preguntar por is the normal structure when you mean to ask about or to inquire after someone or something.

So:

• preguntar por el paradero = to ask about the whereabouts
• preguntar por Juan = to ask for Juan / ask about Juan
• preguntar por un documento = to ask about a document

Without por, preguntar usually takes:

1. the person being asked
   
   • Preguntaron al guardia = They asked the guard

or

2. a direct question
   
   • Preguntaron dónde estaba = They asked where it was

So preguntaron el paradero is not the natural structure here.

Here, paradero means where someone or something is, often translated as whereabouts.

So preguntaron por el paradero means they asked where the missing person or thing was, or whether anyone knew its location.

This word is quite common in phrases like:

• se desconoce su paradero = his/her whereabouts are unknown
• el paradero de la víctima = the victim’s whereabouts

It has a slightly formal or report-like tone.

It can in some varieties of Spanish, especially in parts of Latin America, but that is not the meaning here.

In this sentence, paradero clearly means whereabouts.

For a learner of Spanish from Spain, it is also useful to know that parada is the more everyday word for a transport stop in Spain, such as parada de autobús.

Yes, fairly formal.

Both el extravío and el paradero sound more official, administrative, journalistic, or police-report-like than very everyday speech.

A more everyday version might be something like:

• Confirmaron que se había perdido y preguntaron dónde estaba.
• Confirmaron la pérdida y preguntaron dónde lo habían visto por última vez.

So the original sentence has a concise, formal tone.

Because both actions are done by the same subject, so Spanish naturally links them with y:

• Confirmaron el extravío y preguntaron por el paradero.

This is very common and efficient. Repeating the subject would usually be unnecessary unless you wanted emphasis or needed to avoid confusion.

Yes, depending on context.

• extravío can refer to the loss or disappearance of an object, a document, or sometimes even a person in formal language.
• paradero is especially common for a person’s whereabouts, but it can also be used for a thing’s location in some contexts.

So without more context, the sentence could apply to a missing item or a missing person, though paradero often makes people think first of a person.