detesta

Detesta is a present-tense form found in several Romance languages, serving as the third-person singular present indicative of verbs meaning “to detest.” In Italian, detesta comes from detestare and means “he/she/it detests” (as in Lei detesta). In Spanish and Portuguese, detesta likewise corresponds to the third-person singular present of detestar, used to say someone detests something (Él detesta, Ela detesta).

Etymology and scope: The term originates from the Latin-root detestare, which contributed to the development of detestar in Spanish and Portuguese and detestare in Italian. Detesta is therefore a common verb form across these languages, expressing a strong dislike rather than a mild preference.

Usage notes: Detesta is used to state that someone strongly dislikes or hates a subject or object. It is not equivalent to a simple preference and often conveys a strong negative sentiment.

Examples:

- Italian: Lui detesta i funghi. (He detests mushrooms.)

- Spanish: Ella detesta las cebollas. (She detests onions.)

- Portuguese: Ele detesta abacaxi. (He detests pineapple.)

Variants and related forms: The corresponding infinitives are detestare (Italian) and detestar (Spanish/Portuguese). Related conjugations include other persons and numbers in each language, such as detesto/detesti/detesta in Italian, detesto/detestas/detesta in Spanish, and eu/tu/ele detesto/destas/detesta in Portuguese.

See also: Detestar, Detest.