formarem

Formarem is the third-person plural form of the Portuguese verb formar in the future subjunctive mood. This tense is used to describe actions that will occur under certain conditions in the future and is commonly found in subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions such as quando, se, caso, or assim que.

In practice, formarem appears in sentences like: Quando eles formarem uma equipe, começarão o projeto. Here, the action of forming a team is conditional on another future event. The future subjunctive tends to occur in more formal or written Portuguese, and in everyday speech speakers may substitute with other constructions, depending on the region.

Formarem is easy to confuse with forms of the preterite (simple past). For example, formaram means “they formed” in the past, as in Eles formaram a equipe ontem. The context usually makes the time frame clear, but the distinction between formarem (future subjunctive) and formaram (preterite) is an important point for learners.

Etymologically, formarem derives from the infinitive formar, with inflected endings appropriate to the future subjunctive for the third person plural. The mood and tense together convey contingency or dependence on another future event, rather than a completed past action.