Dató el informe.

Here, dató comes from the verb datar, which means to put a date on something, especially a document.

So Dató el informe means something like:

• He dated the report
• She dated the report
• You dated the report (formal usted)

It does not mean went on a date.

Dató is in the preterite (the simple past tense in Spanish).

So it refers to a completed action in the past:

• dató = dated / put a date on

The infinitive is datar.

A few forms:

• yo daté = I dated
• tú dataste = you dated
• él/ella/usted dató = he/she/you dated

The accent mark shows both pronunciation and meaning/form.

• dató = he/she/usted dated (preterite)
• dato = I date (present tense of datar) or data point / piece of information as a noun

So the accent helps distinguish:

• dato → present or noun
• dató → past tense verb

It also shows the stress falls on the last syllable: da-TÓ.

Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun when it is understood from the verb form.

So Dató el informe could mean:

• He dated the report
• She dated the report
• You dated the report (formal)

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say:

• Él dató el informe
• Ella dató el informe
• Usted dató el informe

But in normal Spanish, the pronoun is often omitted.

El informe is the direct object — it is the thing that received the action.

• datar = to date something
• el informe = the report

So literally:

• Dató = dated
• el informe = the report

Together: dated the report

Because el informe is the direct object, and it does not need a preposition here.

You use a before a person or certain person-like direct objects, not normally before things.

Compare:

• Dató el informe = He dated the report
• Vio a María = He saw María

Since informe is a thing, not a person, there is no personal a.

Also, al = a + el, so using al informe would change the structure and would not be correct here.

Yes, it is correct, especially in more formal or written contexts.

With documents, datar means to put a date on them.

For example:

• Dató la carta
• Dató el contrato
• Dató el informe

In everyday speech, some speakers may also use fechar, which can sound very natural with documents too:

• Fechó el informe

Both can be correct, though datar can sound a bit more formal or technical depending on context.

It is the same verb, but a different construction and meaning nuance.

1. Datar algo
   = to put a date on something

• Dató el informe = He/She dated the report

2. Datar de + time/place/etc.
   = to date from

• El castillo data del siglo XV = The castle dates from the 15th century

So:

• datar + direct object → put a date on something
• datar de + noun/time → date from

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

• dató ≈ da-TOH
• el ≈ el
• informe ≈ een-FOR-meh

So roughly:

da-TOH el een-FOR-meh

The key point is that dató is stressed on the last syllable because of the accent mark.

No. Dató el informe means someone dated the report.

If you want to say The report dates from..., Spanish would use a different structure, for example:

• El informe data de 2022 = The report dates from 2022

So the meanings are different:

• Dató el informe = He/She put a date on the report
• El informe data de 2022 = The report is from 2022

It can sound natural, but it is a bit context-dependent and somewhat formal on its own.

Because the subject is omitted and there is no extra context, it sounds like a short statement you might find in:

• a report of actions
• formal narration
• office or administrative context
• an exercise sentence

In everyday conversation, speakers might say something slightly fuller, such as:

• Ya dató el informe
• Ella dató el informe ayer
• ¿Has datado el informe?

So the sentence is grammatical and correct, but a little bare by itself.