Emprestam

Emprestam is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb emprestar, meaning to lend or to loan. It is used when the subject is a plural noun or pronoun, such as eles, elas, or vocês. For example: Eles emprestam livros à biblioteca or Vocês emprestam dinheiro aos amigos. In both Brazilian and European Portuguese, the form emprestam is used for the present tense with the appropriate plural subjects.

Conjugation notes: emprestar is a regular -ar verb. Present tense forms include: eu empresto, tu emprestas, ele/ela/você empresta, nós emprestamos, eles/elas/vocês emprestam. Other tenses follow standard patterns for -ar verbs: pretérito perfeito simples — emprestaram; gerúndio — emprestando; futuro — emprestarão. Subjunctive forms include: que eu empreste, que tu emprestes, que ele empreste, que nós emprestemos, que eles emprestem.

Usage and syntax: emprestam typically requires a direct object (the item being lent) and an indirect object (the recipient), as in Eles emprestam o livro ao aluno or Eles emprestam dinheiro aos vizinhos. The verb expresses temporary transfer of possession, with the expectation of return. It contrasts with alugar (to rent) and with the reflexive pedir emprestado (to borrow).

Etymology and register: emprestar comes from em- plus prestar, with prestar historically linked to the Latin praestare (“to render, to provide”). The sense in Portuguese is to provide something temporarily. The term is common across informal and formal registers and is widely used in everyday speech, libraries, banks, and business contexts.