hão

hão is a Portuguese verb form belonging to the verb haver. It represents the third-person plural present indicative form of haver and is used primarily in formal or literary writing. In contemporary ordinary speech, this form is uncommon and often replaced by more common periphrastic or simple tense alternatives such as vão or irão, depending on the region and register.

One of the main uses of hão is in the periphrastic future construction with de, as in hão de + infinitivo, which expresses a sense of inevitability, certainty, or strong intention. For example, eles hão de chegar ainda hoje means “they will certainly arrive today,” with a nuance close to “they are bound to arrive.” Outside of archaic or elevated style, speakers tend to use other future forms.

Etymology and grammar notes: haver derives from Latin habere, and the modern form hão reflects historical Portuguese conjugation for the third-person plural of haver. The pronunciation features a silent initial h and a nasal vowel in the final âo digraph, typical of the Portuguese nasal diphthong in this syllable.

See also: haver, há, havemos, vão, irão.

In summary, hão is a relatively rare but recognized archaic/formal conjugation of haver in Portuguese, mainly encountered in literary or historical texts and in the fixed construction hão de to signal a future or inevitable action.