respeite

Respeite is a Portuguese verb form meaning “respect,” used primarily as an imperative or a present subjunctive form. In everyday usage, it appears as the command or request to someone to show respect, for example in directives or polite instructions.

The verb respeitar, from which respeite derives, comes from Latin respectare, built on respectus, meaning regard or consideration. In Portuguese, the imperative for the você form (and the corresponding present subjunctive in subordinate clauses) is respeite. The tú form would be respeita, while respeitar as a base verb yields related forms across persons and tenses.

Usage and meaning: respeite instructs someone to treat others, rules, or situations with consideration and regard. It is common in formal or public contexts, such as policies, signs, or guidelines, and in written communication. In informal speech, speakers often use the tu form respeita or the você form respeite depending on regional variation and register.

Examples:

- Respeite as regras do recinto.

- Que você respeite as diferenças entre as pessoas.

- Respeite o espaço dos outros.

Distinctions: respeite is not the noun respect in Portuguese; that noun is respeito. The imperative for informal address of close acquaintances might use outras formas, like respeita, depending on dialect and familiarity.

See also: respeitar, respeito, etiqueta, normas de convivência.