possédez

Possédez is the second-person plural present indicative form of the French verb posséder, meaning to possess or to own. It is also used as the imperative form when addressing multiple people, as in Possédez ce document. The infinitive is posséder; the present-tense forms are: je possède, tu possèdes, il/elle possède, nous possédons, vous possédez, ils/elles possèdent.

Posséder is an irregular -er verb with stem changes in the present tense to preserve pronunciation. In the present tense the forms show the characteristic vowel shifts: je possède, tu possèdes, il/elle possède, nous possédons, vous possédez, ils/elles possèdent. The imperative form for vous is identical in spelling to the present-tense form, so Possédez! functions as a direct command.

Usage of posséder covers ownership of tangible objects as well as abstract possessions such as skills, rights, or titles. It governs constructions such as posséder quelque chose (to possess something) or posséder des droits (to possess rights). The past participle of posséder is possédé, used to form the passé composé and other compound tenses with the auxiliary avoir (par exemple, j’ai possédé). The adjective possessed, or possédé, can describe someone who is under external influence or control in certain contexts, though this is a specialized sense.

Etymology: posséder comes from Old French posséder, from Latin possidēre, meaning to possess. The English verb possess shares the same origin. Related terms in French include possession and possessif (possessive).