combatem

Combatem is a verb form in Portuguese, functioning as the present indicative for the third-person plural subject. It is the form used with eles, elas, or vocês (you all) in the present tense of the infinitive combater, meaning to fight, oppose, or wage battle. In practice, combatem can appear in statements like “Eles combatem a pobreza” or “Vocês combatem as mudanças.”

As a present tense form, combatem accompanies subjects that perform the action in the current moment or habitual situations. It is common in official, journalistic, and everyday language, including discussions of military conflicts, political debates, social campaigns, and competitive contexts where participants actively oppose or counter a given issue, idea, or opponent.

Etymology: combater derives from the Romance languages’ family of verbs related to fighting or contending. Its root forms are cognate with Spanish combatir, French combattre, and Italian combattere, all sharing the sense of opposing, contending, or fighting. The Portuguese form combatem reflects the regular conjugation pattern for -er verbs in the third-person plural present.

Related terms include the noun combate (a fight or battle) and the adjective combativo (warlike or combatant). The verb is widely used across Portuguese-speaking regions, with similar meanings in contexts ranging from sports and debates to military and social action.