mencione

Mencione is a grammatical form found in Spanish and Portuguese derived from the verb mencionar, meaning to mention. In both languages it is used as a present-subjunctive form for third-person singular (él/ella/usted in Spanish; ele/ela in Portuguese) and, in many contexts, as a form used to issue polite or formal imperatives: in Spanish, for example, “Mencione su nombre” can function as a formal command to usted; in Portuguese, “Mencione os fatos” can be used as a formal instruction to você or to a senhor/a senhora.

In Spanish, mencione appears in contexts that express doubt, desire, possibility, or hypothetical statements, as in “Es posible que ella mencione ese detalle,” and can also serve as the formal command form for usted. In Portuguese, the same surface form serves a similar grammatical purpose as the present subjunctive for ele/ela and, in direct address, as a polite imperative with você or with formal address.

Etymology traces mencione to the verb mencionar, which comes from Latin roots linked to mentionary or to nounce the act of mentioning, passing through medieval Romance languages. The noun mención (or menção in Portuguese) denotes the act or instance of mentioning, and shares a common semantic field with the verbal form.

Usage notes: because it is a subjunctive form, mencione is common in subordinate clauses after verbs of saying, thinking, or doubt, and in formal instructions. It does not occur as a simple indicative form in standard usage.