recusou

Recusou is the third-person singular form of the Portuguese verb recusar in the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past). It denotes that someone refused or declined something in the past, corresponding to “he refused,” “she refused,” or “you refused” in formal address. The form is used in both European and Brazilian Portuguese to report past refusals.

Etymology and form: Recusar comes from Latin recusare, meaning to refuse or reject, and was transmitted into Portuguese through Old Portuguese as recusar. Recusou preserves the regular -ar verb conjugation pattern in the third-person singular of the preterite tense. The full preterite conjugation for recusar is eu recusei, tu recusaste, ele/ela recusou, nós recusámos (or nós recusamos in some dialects), vós recusastes, eles/elas recusaram. In everyday writing, the exact diacritic on the “nós” form can vary by region.

Usage and nuances: Recusou is commonly used to narrate a completed act of refusal. It can take a direct object (recusou a oferta, recusou a proposta) or be followed by an infinitive in reflexive constructions (recusou-se a colaborar). Synonyms include negar and rejeitar, though each term carries slightly different nuances; recusar emphasizes turning down a specific proposition or request.

Examples: Ela recusou a oferta. O comitê recusou a proposta apresentada pelo partido. Ele recusou-se a responder às perguntas.

See also: Recusar, recusado, recusante.