coincidano

Coincidano is the third-person plural present subjunctive form of the Italian verb coincidere, meaning to coincide or to occur at the same time or place. It appears in dependent clauses introduced by verbs or expressions of doubt, possibility, necessity, will, or opinion, where the speaker wants to express that two events or dates may or should occur together. For example: È possibile che coincidano i due eventi; Non è certo che coincidano le date. The corresponding indicative present is coincidono, while the subjunctive forms include coincida for the first and second person singular and coincidano for the third person plural.

The verb coincidere belongs to standard Italian and can denote both temporal and spatial coincidence, as in “le date coincidono” or “gli eventi coincidono nello stesso momento.” The present subjunctive coincidan o coincidano is thus used to convey hypothetical or desired alignment in formal or written contexts. In everyday speech, speakers may instead use paraphrases such as “accadere nello stesso tempo” or “convergere nello stesso momento.”

Etymology traces coincidere to Latin con- ‘together’ and incidere, from which the sense of “falling together” or “happening together” arises. Over time, the verb has acquired primarily temporal and causal nuances in Italian.

Usage notes: Coincidano is relatively formal or literary and uncommon in casual conversation. It is more likely to appear in legal, scientific, or analytic writing, where precise alignment of conditions, dates, or findings is discussed. Related terms include coincidenza (coincidence) and convergere (to converge).