Governando

Governando is the present participle (gerund) form of the Portuguese verb governar, meaning to govern. It denotes ongoing action related to governance and is used to express the progressive aspect, typically with auxiliary verbs such as estar: Ele está governando o país.

As a non-finite form, governando can introduce adverbial or concomitant actions in a sentence and is common in everyday speech. In Brazilian Portuguese, the construction estar governando is widely used to convey the sense of “is governing,” while in European Portuguese a preferred alternative in formal contexts is estar a governar (Ele está a governar o país). The choice of form reflects regional variation in the treatment of the progressive aspect.

Etymology-wise, governar comes from Latin gubernare, itself derived from Greek kyberná, related to steering or helmsmanship. The noun governança (governance) and the noun governante (ruler) are related terms that derive from the same root.

Usage notes include the observation that, although governando is common in informal speech, some style guides discourage frequent use of the gerund in formal writing in favor of finite tenses or infinitives. As a result, speakers may opt for forms like “está a governar” in European Portuguese or simply “governa” to describe ongoing governance in more formal contexts.