decresça

Decresça is a verb form in Portuguese. It is the present subjunctive singular form of the verb decrescer, and it also functions as the formal imperative form addressed to você in many varieties of the language. The infinitive is decrescer, meaning to decrease, diminish, or lessen in size, amount, or intensity. The form decresça appears in contexts that require a wish, doubt, hypothesis, or recommendation (for example, Que os gastos decresçam). It can also appear as a direct command in formal address (Decresça o ritmo, por favor).

Etymology and meaning: decrescer is built from de- (down, away) plus crescere (to grow), connecting the sense of going from a larger to a smaller state. The word and its forms are widely recognized in both Brazilian and European Portuguese, though they appear more frequently in formal, academic, or regulatory language than in colloquial speech.

Usage and nuance: decresça is mainly a grammatical form rather than a standalone lexical item. It denotes a decrease or reduction in various domains, such as numbers, costs, or intensity. In subordinate clauses, it expresses wishes or hypotheses (Que o consumo decresça); in imperative use, it provides a formal directive to reduce something (Decresça a velocidade). When speaking informally, speakers more commonly use other verbs like diminuir or reduzir for similar meanings.

See also: decrescer, diminuir, reduzir, crescer.