constituem

Constituem is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb constituir. The verb means to constitute, to form, to establish, or to make up something. It is transitive and typically takes a direct object that names the parts or elements that compose a whole.

It is widely used in formal or technical language to describe how components come together to form a larger entity. Examples include: “os fatores que constituem o problema” (the factors that constitute the problem) and “as regiões que constituem o território” (the regions that constitute the territory). In legal and administrative contexts it can introduce elements that form the basis of a rule, a structure, or an organization, signaling that several parts together define the whole.

Originating from Latin constituere, through the Romance languages, constituir entered Portuguese with the sense of setting up or placing together. The present tense forms follow the regular -ir verb pattern: eu constituo, tu constituis, ele constitui, nós constituímos, vós constituís, eles constituem. Other tenses and moods form similarly, with inflected endings that reflect person and number.

In usage, constituem is a straightforward, neutral term for describing composition or formation. It is commonly found in academic, governmental, and formal writing, as well as in everyday Brazilian and European Portuguese when indicating that multiple elements form a single unit.