disseram

Disseram is the third-person plural pretérito perfeito do indicativo of the Portuguese verb dizer, meaning they said or they told. It is used to report statements or information that was expressed in the past and often appears in narratives or indirect speech.

In practice, disse arroz, many times it introduces reported content, typically followed by que or a quotation. For example: Eles disseram que chegariam amanhã. Another example with direct speech: Disseram: "Vamos sair." The form is commonly used in both Brazilian and European Portuguese, and it functions as the past-tense marker for a past utterance by a group.

Etymology and related forms: dizer comes from Latin dicere, and its conjugation includes irregular past forms. The present tense is dizem, the imperfect is diziam or eu dizia/diziam depending on person, and the pretérito perfeito for singular subjects is disse. The form disse for he/she said contrasts with disseram for they said. In usage, disse and disseram are often found in reporting clauses that convey statements, promises, refusals, or claims.

Notes on semantic nuance: disse is used for both direct and indirect speech in the singular, while disse- forms shift depending on the subject and tense. Disseram, specifically, emphasizes a completed utterance by multiple speakers in the past. In formal writing, discussants may choose synonyms such as afirmaram, informaram, or relataram when indicating reported content.