estreitamos

Estreitar is a Portuguese verb meaning to narrow, to tighten, or to bring things or people closer together. It can be used in a literal sense, such as reducing physical distance or width, and in a figurative sense, such as strengthening bonds, intensifying relations, or reducing gaps between groups or regions. The form estreitamos, the first-person plural present indicative, corresponds to “we narrow” or “we tighten,” depending on context.

Etymology and form: Estreitar derives from the adjective estreto, meaning narrow or tight, which comes from a Latin root related to tightness or closeness. The verb is regular with the standard -ar conjugation pattern in Portuguese. For example, in the present tense: eu estreito, você estreita, nós estreitamos, eles estreitam. Other tenses follow the usual -ar paradigm (e.g., estreitei, estreitaste, estreitou; estreitávamos, estreitavam; que eu estreite, que eles estreitem).

Usage notes: In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, estreitar is commonly used with proximately meaningful objects and entities, as in estreitar laços (to strengthen ties) or estreitar relações (to bring relations closer). When used literally, it can describe physically narrowing a gap, narrowing a street, or tightening a mechanism. In institutional or policy contexts, phrases like estreitar a distância between regions or estreitar diferenças entre grupos are common to express reducing disparities.

Examples:

- Nós estreitamos as relações com as comunidades locais.

- O acordo visa estreitar a distância entre as regiões urbanas e rurais.

- A campanha busca estreitar laços entre empresas de tecnologia e universidades.

See also: estreito, estreitar-se, estreitamento.

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