catalogan

Catalogan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb catalogar, meaning "they catalog." It is used to describe the action of organizing items into a catalog or list by multiple subjects. In sentences, it typically accompanies a plural subject, as in libraries, archives, or data systems that perform cataloging tasks.

Etymology and related forms: catalogar derives from the noun catálogo, which in turn comes from Latin catalogus and Greek katalogos, meaning a list or register. Related forms in Spanish include catalogo (I catalog), catalogas (you catalog), cataloga (he/she catalogs), catalogamos (we catalog), catalogáis (you all catalog), and catalogan (they catalog). The word shares its root with similar terms in other Romance languages, reflecting the same concept of systematic listing and indexing.

Usage notes: catalogan is common in formal and technical registers, particularly in libraries, museums, information science, inventory management, and data curation. It emphasizes deliberate, methodical recording of items and metadata to support retrieval and organization. While similar to other present-tense forms, the meaning remains distinct when contrasted with nouns like catálogo or verbs in other tenses, which denote completed actions or different aspects of cataloging.

Examples:

- Los bibliotecarios catalogan las nuevas adquisiciones cada semana.

- Las plataformas digitales catalogan productos para facilitar la búsqueda y clasificación.

See also: catalogar, catálogo, metadatos, clasificación, indexación.