coletam

Coletam is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb coletar, meaning to collect or gather. It is used when referring to a group performing a collecting action in the present tense, such as eles coletam or vocês coletam. The form appears in everyday and formal Portuguese alike, including scientific, administrative, and data-gathering contexts.

Etymology and related forms

Coletar derives from Latin collectare, based on the root collect- from colligere, meaning to gather or bring together. The noun coleta (a collection or gathering) and related terms such as coletivo or coletiva (collective) share the same semantic origin. In usage, coletar often appears in contexts involving systematic gathering of information, samples, or objects, sometimes overlapping with the synonym recolher, which can carry a nuance of gathering from various sources.

Usage and nuance

In contemporary Portuguese, coletar is common in both Brazilian and European varieties when describing the act of collecting data, samples, or items. Examples: Eles coletam dados para o estudo. A equipe coletou as amostras ao longo da semana (past tense). The choice between coletar and recolher can depend on context and region, with recolher sometimes emphasizing the act of gathering from multiple sources or locations.

See also

Coleta, coletor, coletânea. These terms are closely related semantically, referring to the act of collecting, the collector, or a compilation or collection.