documentan

Documentan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb documentar, meaning “they document.” It is used to describe the action of creating, compiling, or recording documents by multiple subjects. In conversational European Spanish, the related form vosotros documentáis is used for the second-person plural, while in Latin American and many other varieties, ustedes documentan is the standard “you document” form.

Etymology and grammar: The infinitive documentar derives from the Latin documentum, meaning “proof” or “lesson,” combined with the standard -ar verb conjugation pattern. The present tense ending -an marks third-person plural in standard Spanish conjugation.

Usage notes: Documentan appears in both formal and informal prose, technical writing, and journalistic contexts whenever plural subjects document something, such as procedures, findings, or records. Examples include: “Los investigadores documentan los resultados” and “Los archivos documentan el proceso de adquisición.”

Related terms: The noun documentación refers to documentation as a body of documents or the act of documenting; related verbs include documentar (to document) and its conjugations. See also Spanish verb conjugation resources for further detail on -ar verbs and person-number agreement.