ameaçam

Ameaçam is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb ameaçar. The verb means to threaten, i.e., to indicate harm or penalties as a means of coercion or pressure. It can refer to literal threats against a person or group, as well as to figurative pressures that imply negative consequences if demands are not met.

Usage and constructions: Ameaçar is transitive and commonly takes a direct object, as in ameaçar alguém (to threaten someone). It is also used with prepositional phrases to specify how the threat is carried out, for example ameaçar com violência (to threaten with violence) or ameaçar de demissão (to threaten with dismissal) in some varieties. The expression can appear in various registers, from news reporting to everyday speech, and may be used in past, present, or future tenses depending on the context.

Conjugation and grammar: Ameaçar is a regular -ar verb. In the present indicative, the form is eu ameaço, tu ameaças, ele/ela ameaça, nós ameaçamos, vós ameaçáis (Portugal), eles/elas ameaçam. The verb also forms reflexive or autonomous constructions and participates in compound tenses with auxiliary verbs, such as “tinha ameaçado” (had threatened) or “vai ameaçar” (will threaten).

Etymology: The exact origin of ameaçar is debated, but it is cognate with similar terms in other Romance languages, such as espanhol amenazar and francês menacer, reflecting a shared Latin root related to threat or intimidation. This connection situates ameaça- within a broad family of verbs describing coercive acts.