trocarem

Trocarem is a verb form in Portuguese. It is the third-person plural of the futuro do subjuntivo (future subjunctive) of the verb trocar, which means to exchange or to swap.

The form is used in subordinate clauses that refer to actions imagined to occur in the future or under hypothetical conditions. It typically appears after conjunctions such as quando (when), se (if), caso (in case), or enquanto (while), in sentences that express possibility or contingency. For example, in Brazilian and European Portuguese, one might say: "Quando eles trocarem as peças, o sistema voltará a funcionar" or "Se eles trocarem as peças, o sistema ficará estável." The construction signals uncertainty or importance of a future event rather than a definite future action.

Usage notes and alternatives: trocarem is appropriate in formal or written contexts and in careful speech. In everyday speech, some speakers prefer rephrasing to avoid the future subjunctive, using other tenses or dependent clauses with more common moods. The form also appears in indirect speech and in conditional constructions that require a future reference.

Related forms of trocar include the present indicative (trocam), the present subjunctive (troquem), the imperfect subjunctive (trocassem), and the future indicative (trocarão). Trocarem is specifically the third-person plural form of the future subjunctive, used when describing a future, uncertain, or hypothetical action performed by they.