reconhece

Reconhece is the present indicative form of the Portuguese verb reconhecer, used for the third person singular (ele, ela) or with você in many dialects. It means to recognize, identify, acknowledge, or become aware of something. In everyday language it can refer to recognizing a person’s face, acknowledging a fact, or admitting a mistake. In formal or legal contexts it may appear in phrases such as reconhecer firma (to attest a signature) or reconhecer a validade de um documento (to acknowledge a document’s validity).

Etymology and related forms: reconhecer comes from Latin recognoscere, formed with the prefix re- and cognoscere (to know). The noun related forms include reconhecimento (recognition) and reconhecível (recognizable).

Conjugation and usage notes: as a regular verb of the -er group, its present indicative forms include eu reconheço, tu reconheces (ou você reconhece), ele reconhece, nós reconhecemos, vós reconhecéis, eles reconhecem. In Brazilian Portuguese, the form reconhece is commonly used with você or ele/ela; in European Portuguese, tu reconheces and você reconhece are also common. The sense of reconhecer can vary by context—from identifying a person to admitting a fact or validating a document, or even describing systems that recognize patterns, such as reconhecimento facial in technology.

See also: reconhecimento, reconhecível, reconhecer (verb).