cresceram

Cresceram is the third person plural pretérito perfeito do indicativo of the Portuguese verb crescer, meaning “they grew” or “they have grown” in contexts that indicate a completed action in the past. It is used to describe growth in size, number, or development of people, plants, objects, or situations.

Etymology and form: Crescer comes from Latin crescere, meaning to grow. In the pretérito perfeito, the regular conjugation for the third person plural yields cresceram, with the ending -aram attached to the stem crescer. This form is standard in both European and Brazilian Portuguese.

Usage: Cresceram is commonly used to report past growth or increase. It can refer to physical growth, the expansion of quantities (such as population, sales, or assets), or metaphorical development (such as skills or influence). It is typically used in narrative or descriptive passages to mark a completed change.

Examples:

- As plantas cresceram muito desde a última semana de fertilização.

- Os negócios cresceram no último trimestre.

- Entre os anos, as crianças cresceram e mudaram bastante.

Notes: Cresceram is a simple past tense form, distinct from the present perfect or imperfect tenses, and does not itself specify ongoing relevance beyond the completed action unless complemented by context or additional time markers. Related verbs include crescer (to grow), crescimento (growth), and crescente (growing).