Constitui

Constitui is a verb form used in Portuguese. It is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb constituir, meaning to constitute, establish, form, or make up. In usage, it translates as “he/she/it constitutes” or, in the you-you form with já informal, “you constitute.” The word is commonly employed to express that something forms part of a whole or that a condition yields a particular result, as in “Essa decisão constitui um marco” or “O conjunto de fatores constitui um problema.”

Etymology and related forms: Constituir derives from Latin constituere, meaning to set up or establish. Related nouns include constituição (constitution), constituição pública, and constituintes (constituents). The sense of forming or establishing is central across Romance languages that inherit the root.

Usage notes: Constitui appears in formal, legal, academic, and journalistic writing to designate that something constitutes or establishes something else. It often introduces a consequence or classification, for example: “O acordo constitui uma obrigação legal.” It is distinct from palavras like formar, criar, or estabelecer, though they share related meanings.

In Latin, constitui exists as a verb form of constituere, meaning “I established” (perfect active). This illustrates cross-linguistic usage where a similar root appears in both Portuguese and classical Latin.

See also: constituir, constituição, constitucional, constituintes.