permiten

Permiten is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb permitir, meaning to allow or to permit. It is used with plural subjects, such as ellos, ellas, or ustedes, to indicate that an action is being allowed. Permitir is a transitive verb and can take a direct object or a subordinate clause introduced by que.

Etymology and meaning: permitEn derives from the Latin verb permittere, formed with per- (through) and mittere (to send). In modern Spanish, the core sense is to grant permission, authorize an action, or make something possible under certain rules or conditions.

Usage and constructions: Permiten commonly appears with a direct object, as in Las reglas permiten varias opciones (The rules permit several options). It can also be followed by an infinitive, as in La ley permite cambiar la fecha (The law allows changing the date). A subordinate clause with que is also possible: La norma permite que se realicen cambios. The verb is transitive and may be negated with no or no+verb: No permiten fumar aquí (They do not allow smoking here).

Regional and grammatical notes: In Spain, the second-person plural form used for informal address is permitís (vosotros permitís), while permitEN is used with ustedes or with ellos/ellas in most dialects. In Latin America, ustedes permiten is a common usage for the same meaning. The related forms include permitir (base form), permiso (noun: permission), and permitido (past participle: permitted).

See also: permit, permisibilidad, permisos, permiso de entrada.