I just got a project dumped in my lap that requires that I say "They provide security systems." The word that the company has sent me seems to be proveer (ha provisto?), but I thought proporcionar was the right term How would you suggest I say this, and if it is proveer, how in tarnation do you conjugate that thing?
By the way....they need this, of course, two hours ago!

Both verbs are correct:

"Nos proporcionan los sistemas de seguridad"

"Son nuestros proveedores de sistemas de seguridad"

"Proveedor" is the agent that sells you a product or service. "Proveer" is used whenever that agent provides you a product or a service, so it is a comercial technicism.

"Proporcionar" is a more common term.

Fernando

Thanks, Fernando! My dictionary says that proveer is a regular verb, but it doesn't look right to write proveió. How do I conjugate it? Like leer?

My son is an editor for a company that every now and then gets something to deal with in a language other than English. If he can't handle it, he calls me. And if I'm stuck...Madrid Man and Fernando to the rescue!

Yes, it's like leer, so the past tense is proveyó.

I you want to conjugate any Spanish verb, the Website of the Real Academia Española provides it. Just enter http://www.rae.es , press on the first link upleft (Diccionario de la lengua española), enter the word in the appropriate field, and you'll get its meaning. If the word is a verb, simply press the blue square in its definition and, voilà, you'll get the conjugation.

True. "Proveer" is good, "proporcionar" also.

Proveyó is the past form.