envelhecem

Envelhecem is a Portuguese verb form that means "they age" or "they grow old." It is the present indicative, third-person plural form of the verb envelhecer, used with subjects such as eles, elas, or vocês.

The verb envelhecer derives from velho (old) with the causative suffix -ecer, indicating the process of becoming old. It belongs to the -ecer verb family in Portuguese and shares a common formation with related terms such as envelhecimento (aging) and envelhecido (aged).

In contemporary Portuguese, the present indicative conjugation is: eu envelheço, tu envelheces, ele/ela envelhece, nós envelhecemos, vós envelheceis, eles/elas envelhecem. The third-person plural form "envelhecem" ends with -em, following standard patterns for this person and number. Note that the first-person singular employs the letter ç (envelheço) to preserve the soft /s/ sound before o.

Usage: Envelhecem can refer to living beings and to non-living entities in a metaphorical sense, indicating the passage of time and the aging process. It appears in literal statements like "eles envelhecem com o tempo" as well as in sociological contexts such as "a população envelhece." Related terms include envelhecimento (aging), envelhecido (aged), and envelhecer (to age).