adopten

Adopten is the present subjunctive form of the Spanish verb adoptar, used with the second-person plural pronoun ustedes and, in subordinate clauses, with ellos/ellas as well. It is also the affirmative imperative form for ustedes, used to give a direct command to a group.

In the present subjunctive, the full paradigm of adoptar is: yo adopte, tú adoptes, él/ella/Ud adopte, nosotros adoptemos, vosotros adoptéis, ustedes adopten. Since the imperative for the ustedes form coincides with the present subjunctive, adopten is used to issue a direct instruction such as Adopten estas prácticas.

Usage of adopten includes commands to a group and subordinate clauses expressing wishes, doubt, necessity, or hypothetical situations. Examples: Adopten estas medidas para reducir el impacto ambiental. Es posible que adopten nuevas políticas. Espero que adopten un enfoque más sostenible. The form commonly appears in formal or administrative contexts, as well as in educational or advocacy texts.

Etymology: adoptar derives from Latin adoptare, formed from ad- “toward” and optāre “to choose, to wish.” The development of the present-subjunctive endings follows standard Spanish conjugation patterns for -ar verbs, with the usted/ustedes forms aligned with the corresponding third-person plural forms in the subjunctive mood.