Comprobé el censo electoral.

Comprobé is the preterite tense, first person singular (I), from the verb comprobar.

So:

• comprobar = to check / to verify
• comprobé = I checked / I verified

The preterite is used for a completed action in the past, so this sentence means the speaker finished checking the electoral register.

The accent mark in comprobé is there because it is the yo form of an -ar verb in the preterite.

Compare:

• comprobo → not correct here
• comprobé → I checked

The accent also shows that the stress falls on the last syllable: com-pro-BÉ.

This pattern is very common with regular -ar verbs in the preterite:

• hablé = I spoke
• miré = I looked
• comprobé = I checked

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Here, comprobé clearly means I checked, so yo is unnecessary.

You could say:

• Yo comprobé el censo electoral

but it usually sounds more natural simply as:

• Comprobé el censo electoral

Adding yo would normally be for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Here comprobar means to check, to verify, or to confirm something.

In this sentence, it means the speaker checked the electoral register to make sure the information was correct or to see whether someone was listed.

In Spain, comprobar is a very common and natural verb in this kind of context.

El censo electoral means the electoral register or electoral roll.

It is the official list of people who are allowed to vote.

A learner might confuse censo with census, but here it does not mean a general population census. In this expression, censo electoral is specifically the register of voters.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English might not.

Here, el censo electoral refers to a specific thing: the electoral register.

So Spanish prefers:

• Comprobé el censo electoral

rather than leaving out the article.

This is very normal with official lists, institutions, and known items in context.

In Spanish, adjectives often come after the noun, especially when they classify the noun rather than add a personal opinion.

So:

• censo electoral = electoral register

Here electoral tells you what type of censo it is. This is a standard noun + adjective order in Spanish.

In most of Spain, censo is pronounced roughly like THEN-so, because c before e or i is usually pronounced with the th sound of think.

So in most of Spain:

• censo → THEN-so

In Latin America and in some parts of Spain, it is pronounced more like:

• SEN-so

Since you asked about Spanish from Spain, the TH pronunciation is the one most learners expect.

Sometimes yes, but they are not always exactly the same.

• comprobé = I checked / verified
• verifiqué = I verified
• revisé = I reviewed / checked over

Comprobar is very natural for checking whether something is correct or whether a person appears on a list.

Verificar can sound a bit more formal or technical.

Revisar often suggests examining something carefully, but depending on context it can also work.

For an electoral register, comprobé el censo electoral sounds very natural.

Because comprobé presents the action as a completed event.

• comprobé = I checked
• comprobaba = I was checking / I used to check

Use comprobé when you mean a finished action at a specific moment.

Use comprobaba if you want to describe an ongoing past action, background information, or a repeated habit in the past.

For example:

• Comprobé el censo electoral ayer. = I checked the electoral register yesterday.
• Comprobaba el censo electoral cada año. = I used to check the electoral register every year.

The normal, neutral order is:

• Comprobé el censo electoral

This is the most natural way to say it.

Spanish word order is somewhat flexible, but changing it usually adds emphasis or sounds more literary or marked. For example:

• El censo electoral lo comprobé yo.

This would strongly emphasise I or contrast with someone else.

So yes, word order can change, but the original version is the standard, everyday structure.