permitan

Permitan is the third-person plural present subjunctive form of the Spanish verb permitir, meaning to permit or allow. It is a conjugated form used in subordinate clauses that express wishes, doubts, possibilities, necessity, or hypotheticals, typically following verbs or expressions that introduce a subjunctive mood.

Grammatically, permitir belongs to the regular -ir verb conjugation, and permitan corresponds to ellos/ellas/ustedes in the present subjunctive. It is commonly introduced by conjunctions such as que, or by impersonal phrases that trigger the subjunctive. For example: Es necesario que permitan la entrada; Espero que te permitan participar. These constructions signal a non-assertive action or a desired outcome rather than a statement of fact.

Etymologically, permitir descends from Latin permittere, formed from per- “through, completely” and mittere “to send or let go.” The sense evolved from “to let through” to “to allow.”

In everyday usage, permitan appears more often in formal, administrative, or legal contexts, as well as in written Spanish. It contrasts with indicatives like permiten (they allow) and with other subjunctive forms such as permitiera or permitasen, which refer to different tenses or moods.

In Portuguese, a closely related form is permitam, reflecting shared Romance-language roots in the present subjunctive. Understanding permitan helps clarify distinctions among mood and tense in Spanish grammar and enhances comprehension in formal or persuasive texts.