permitiam

Permitiam is a Portuguese verb form derived from the infinitive permitir, meaning to permit or to allow. It is the third-person plural form in the imperfect indicative tense, used to describe past actions that were ongoing or habitual, or to set scenes in the past. In English, it can be translated as “they were permitting” or “they permitted,” depending on context.

Grammatical details: Permitiam carries voice (active), mood (indicative), tense (imperfect), and person-number (third person plural). It comes from the regular verb conjugation pattern of -ir verbs in the imperfect: eu permitia, tu permitias, ele permitia, nós permitíamos, vós permitíeis, eles permitiam. This form contrasts with other tenses and moods such as seria or permitiriam, which express hypothetical or conditional nuances.

Usage and nuance: Permitiam is commonly found in narrative or descriptive past contexts. It describes past permissions that may have occurred over a period or repeatedly, rather than a single completed act. It can introduce subordinate clauses that express what was allowed, often followed by verbs in the subjunctive (e.g., que as crianças brincassem) or other verbs showing the extent of permission.

Etymology and related forms: The word permits a direct lineage from Latin permittere, via the Portuguese verb permitir. Related forms include permito (present first-person singular), permite (present third-person singular), permitir (infinitive), and múltiplas conjugations across tenses and moods.

Examples:

- Eles permitiam que os visitantes entrassem sem autorização durante a reforma.

- Naquela época, a empresa permitia o uso do celular, embora com restrições.