descobriu

Descobriu is a verb form in Portuguese. It is the third-person singular pretérito perfeito do indicativo of descobrir, meaning “he discovered” or “she discovered.” It is used to describe a completed act of discovering in the past. The form also appears in Brazilian Portuguese for the subject “you” when using the formal or informal second person in the past tense, as in “Você descobriu.”

Descobrir is a regular -ir verb in its main conjugations, including the preterite. Related forms include eu descobri, nós descobrimos, eles descobriram, as well as present-tense forms like eu descubro, você descobre, nós descobrimos, eles descobrem. In sentences, descobriu commonly accompanies direct objects or subordinate clauses: “Ele descobriu uma solução,” “Ela descobriu que estava enganada.”

Etymology and sense: descobrir originates from the prefixo des- (undo or reverse) plus cobrir (to cover). The literal sense is to uncover or reveal something that was hidden, with the figurative extension to “discover” in the sense of learning or finding out.

Usage notes: Descobriu is widely used across Portuguese varieties, including Portugal and Brazil, in narratives, journalism, and everyday speech. It can introduce reported discoveries or realizations, as in “Foi assim que ele descobriu a verdade,” or serve as the simple past in factual statements about past events.

See also: descobrir (the infinitive form) and related verb forms.