defendem

Defendem is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Portuguese verb defender, meaning to defend or to protect. It is used with subjects such as eles, elas, or vocês to describe defending actions that are taking place in the present.

As a regular -er verb in the present tense, defender forms its third-person plural by adding the ending -em to the stem defend-. The related present-tense forms include eu defendo, tu defendes, ele defende, nós defendemos, and eles/elas defendem, with defendem specifically serving the third-person plural.

Examples of usage include: "Eles defendem seus direitos." and "As equipes defendem o título." In discourse, defendem commonly appears in discussions of rights, security, policy, and debates where a group is asserting or protecting interests or positions.

Etymology traces defender to Latin defendere, from a combination of roots meaning to ward off or guard. The Portuguese form defendenm is thus part of a broader Romance-language pattern for regular -er verbs in the present tense.

In addition to ordinary narrative and argumentative contexts, defenden also appears in legal, political, and sports language to express collective action in defense of a cause or claim. It should not be confused with nouns or other forms outside the present indicative paradigm.

See also: defender (verb), Portuguese conjugation, present indicative.