Compreenderem

Compreenderem is a Portuguese verb form belonging to the verb compreender (to understand). It is the third-person plural form of the future subjunctive, a tense used in subordinate clauses to express actions that are contingent or expected to occur in the future. The future subjunctive corresponds to the idea of “if/when they understand” in English, but it does not carry a definite time by itself; its temporal reference is determined by the main clause.

Morphology and related forms: the future subjunctive endings for regular -er verbs are attached to the infinitive stem. For compreender, the third-person plural form is compreenderem. Other persons in the same tense are eu compreender, tu compreenderes, ele compreender, nós compreendermos, vós compreenderdes, and eles compreenderem. The present subjunctive form of compreender is compreendam, and the imperfect subjunctive forms include compreendessem or compreendessem, depending on regional preference. These forms are distinct in use and meaning from the future indicative and other past or present tenses.

Usage: compreenderem appears primarily in clauses introduced by conjunctions that mark a hypothetical or future scenario, such as se (if), quando (when), caso (in case), or antes que in contexts requiring the future-subjunctive mood. Examples include: Se eles compreenderem o problema, poderão corrigir o erro; Quando eles compreenderem as instruções, iniciarão o experimento. In everyday speech, Brazilian Portuguese speakers sometimes prefer entenderem or simplesmente entenderem, though compreenderem remains correct, more formal, and sometimes stylistically nuanced to emphasize a deeper or more complete understanding.

See also: compreender, compreenderem is one of several forms associated with the future-subjunctive mood, distinct from present and imperfect subjunctive forms.