aquecem

Aquecem is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb aquecer, which means to heat or to warm. It is used when the subject performs the action of heating something. The form can appear in physical contexts, such as heating a substance or a space, as well as in metaphorical ones, such as warming up a discussion or a relationship.

Morphology and usage notes: Aquecer is a regular -er verb with an orthographic change in the first-person singular, where the form becomes aqueço to preserve the soft sound before e. The present indicative forms include eu aqueço, tu aqueces, ele aquece, nós aquecemos, vós aquecês, eles aquecem. Thus aquecem specifically corresponds to the third-person plural subject. In the present subjunctive, the corresponding third-person plural form is aqueçam. The verb is transitive and commonly appears with a direct object, as in alguém aquece a água, aquece o ambiente, or aquece a comida.

Examples of usage: Eles aquecem a água para o banho. O sistema de aquecimento aquece rapidamente a casa durante o inverno. Figuratively, as negociações aquecem o clima político, or as discussões aquecem o debate, indicating increasing intensity rather than literal warmth.

See also: Aquecer, esquentar, aquecimento.