Portano

Portano is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb portare, meaning to carry or to bring. It translates literally as they carry or they bring and is used to describe actions performed by multiple subjects.

Etymology and usage context: Portare comes from Latin portare, and is part of a broad family of Romance verbs with the same root. The form portano is used in standard Italian whenever the subject is plural and the action is occurring in the present. The verb can denote physical carrying, bringing objects, or more figurative meanings such as bringing results, effects, or influence (for example, portare fortuna, to bring luck).

Grammar notes: Portare is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object in many sentences. In the present tense, its full conjugation is: io porto, tu porti, lui/lei porta, noi portiamo, voi portate, loro portano. For compound tenses, the auxiliary verb avere is used with the past participle portato (e.g., hanno portato). The form portano will occur whenever the subject is masculine, feminine, or mixed plural in the third person.

Examples:

- Loro portano le borse fino all’ingresso. (They carry the bags to the entrance.)

- Portano sempre un dono quando visitano. (They always bring a gift when they visit.)

- Il vento porta la sabbia lungo la spiaggia. (The wind carries the sand along the beach.)

See also: portare, portato, portata.