aumentam

Aumentam is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb aumentar, which means to increase, raise, or augment. It is used with plural subjects, such as eles, elas, or vocês, to indicate that something is becoming larger in quantity, degree, or intensity. For example: "Os preços aumentam" means "Prices are increasing," and "As temperaturas aumentam no verão" means "Temperatures rise in summer." It can also denote actions that raise or boost something, as in "Eles aumentam os salários dos funcionários" (They increase the employees’ salaries).

Etymology and usage: aumentar comes from Latin augmentare, with the noun augmentum meaning increase. The word is regular in its conjugation as a typical -ar verb. Beyond the present tense, related forms include aumentei (past), aumentava (imperfect), aumentará (future), and aumentaram (past plural).

Grammatical notes: In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, the present indicative forms are eu aumento, tu aumentas, ele/ela aumenta, nós aumentamos, vocês aumentam. European Portuguese similarly uses the standard -ar conjugation pattern, though some regional varieties favor tu and você in different contexts. Aumentar is commonly found in journalism, economics, demographics, and everyday descriptions of change, often paired with prepositions or numerals to quantify growth (por cento, em número, etc.).

See also: aumentar, aumento, crescimento, elevação.