costumam

Costumam is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb costumar. It expresses habitual actions or tendencies, equivalent to “they usually” or “they tend to” in English. It requires a plural subject (eles or elas) and is commonly used in both speech and writing to describe repeated behavior.

Costumar comes from the noun costume, meaning habit or custom, and through Latin roots formed the sense of making something habitual. It is cognate with the Spanish acostumbrar. In everyday use, the meaning remains focused on repetition or regularity, and it can be distinguished from its other sense of clothing in contexts where the distinction is clear from surrounding words.

Usage and examples: They often describe routines or stable patterns. For example, Eles costumam tomar café às 10. Costumam ir ao cinema aos domingos. The verb is often complemented by adverbs such as geralmente or habitualmente to emphasize regularity. Negative forms follow the standard pattern: Eles não costumam viajar nesta época. In both Brazilian and European Portuguese, costumar is common in formal and informal registers, though regional preferences for cadence or formality may vary.

Related forms and notes: costumar (infinitive), costumadamente (adverbial form), and the noun costume (habits, customs) or costume as clothing in other senses. The adjective acostumado can describe someone who is accustomed. See also: acostumar, costume, costumbre (in related Iberian languages).