comportiamo

Comportiamo is the first-person plural present indicative form of the Italian verb comportare. It functions as a transitive verb and translates roughly as “we bear,” “we carry,” or “we entail,” depending on context. In everyday usage it is most often employed to indicate that an action or decision brings about consequences, costs, obligations, or requirements.

Etymology and meanings. Comportare derives from Latin com-portare, from com- “together” and portare “to carry.” The core senses in Italian are: 1) to carry or bear something physically, 2) to entail or involve something, such as costs, risks, or responsibilities. Examples include: “Questo progetto comporta costi significativi” (This project entails significant costs) and “La decisione comporta conseguenze” (The decision entails consequences). In compound tenses it takes avere as the auxiliary: “ha comportato” (has entailed).

Related forms and usage notes. The verb has a distinct non-reflexive form and the related reflexive verb com portarsi, which means “to behave oneself.” For example, “Dobbiamo comportarci bene” uses the reflexive form and means “We must behave well.” The pronoun ci is used with the reflexive form, while the non-reflexive form remains transitive and governs a direct object.

See also. Related terms include comportare in its various senses, the noun comportamento meaning “behavior,” and the verb comportarsi for “to behave.” Comportiamo, as a finite verb form, often appears in sentences describing collective actions or obligations that a group or entity must bear.