contribuíu

Contribuíu is a verb form associated with the Portuguese verb contribuir, which means to contribute or to donate. In standard modern Portuguese, the third-person singular preterite form of contribuir is contribuiu. The spelling contribuíu is generally regarded as a nonstandard variant or a typographical error rather than an accepted form in contemporary usage.

Etymology and meaning: Contribuir comes from Latin contribuere, formed from com- “together” and tribuere “to assign or grant.” The sense evolved to denote giving or adding something to a common cause, project, or fund.

Conjugation context: For reference, the preterite conjugation of contribuir in the standard forms is: eu contribui, tu contribuíste, ele contribuiu, nós contribuímos, vós contribuístes, eles contribuíram. The accent pattern shows that the first-person singular form carries an acute accent on the i (contribuí) and the second person singular preserves the accent in contribuíste, while the third-person singular is written without an accent (contribuiu).

Usage notes: Contribuir describes acts of giving, supplying resources, ideas, or effort toward a collective goal. Example: Ele contribuiu para a pesquisa com dados novos. If the sequence contribúi… appears in text, it is typically a misspelling of contribuiu and should be corrected in standard writing.

In summary, contribuíu is not the standard modern form for the third-person preterite of contribuir; contribuiu is the correct spelling, while contribuí reflects a related first- or second-person past form.