decidiram

Decidiram is the third-person plural form of the Portuguese verb decidir in the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past). It translates to “they decided” in English and is used to indicate a completed decision made by a group in the past. The same form is also used for "vocês decidiram" in Brazilian Portuguese, depending on regional preference.

Grammatically, decidir is a regular -ir verb, and decidiram is the preterite 3rd person plural ending for this verb. It is formed from the stem decid- combined with the preterite ending -aram in many varieties of Portuguese, reflecting standard past tense usage. The form contrasts with other tenses such as decidiu (he/she decided), decidimos (we decided), or decidiam (they used to decide).

Usage and nuance: decidiram is common in narrative, news, and reportive speech where a decision has been reached and stated as a completed action. It applies to a wide range of decisions, from formal agreements to everyday choices. In written Portuguese, it often appears after a subject pronoun or a named group, as in "Eles decidiram aceitar a proposta" or "As equipes decidiram seguir caminhos diferentes."

Related forms include decidir (infinitive), decido (I decide), decidimos (we decided), and decidiram (they/you all decided). Although Portuguese shares the same spelling with Spanish verb forms in some tenses, decidiram is distinctly Portuguese in its spelling and conjugation.