crescer

crescer is a Portuguese verb meaning to grow, to increase, to develop, or to mature. It can describe physical growth, such as a child growing taller, as well as growth in size or numbers, and can be used figuratively to talk about development or rising importance of a person, idea, or economy.

Etymology and related terms: Crescer derives from the Latin crescere, the same root as English words such as increase and crescent. Related noun forms include crescimento (growth) and crescente (growing). The word belongs to the regular -er verb family in many tenses, but its forms are irregular in several conjugations and vary by dialect.

Usage and grammar: Crescer is primarily intransitive, with the subject undergoing growth. It can be used with prepositional phrases to specify the domain of growth, for example crescer em altura (to grow in height) or crescer em população (to grow in population). The verb has irregular conjugations in several tenses. Present indicative forms commonly include eu cresco, ele cresce, nós crescemos, and Brazilian Portuguese often uses você cresce / vocês crescem. Preterite forms are cresci, cresceu, crescemos, cresceram; imperfect forms are crescia, crescíamos, cresciam; the future forms include crescerei, crescerás, crescerá, cresceremos, crescerão (with regional variants such as crescereis in some dialects). The past participle is crescido and the gerund is crescendo.

Derived forms and usage notes: crescido can function as an adjective meaning grown or grown-up; crescente as an adjective or adverb meaning growing; crescimento as a noun for growth. The opposite concepts are typically expressed with diminuir or decrescer, depending on context.

Examples: “As plantas crescem no verão.” “O bebê cresceu bastante este ano.” “A cidade tem crescido rapidamente.”