Acompañe

Acompañe is a conjugated form of the Spanish verb acompañar. It is not a standalone word in its own right, but one inflected form that appears in specific grammatical contexts. The form is most common as the present subjunctive in the 1st and 3rd person singular, and as the formal imperative for usted.

In the present subjunctive, the full paradigm for acompañar is yo acompañe, tú acompañes, él acompañe, nosotros acompañemos, vosotros acompañéis, ellos acompañen. The third-person singular form acompañe (written with the ñ) is the same form that can function as the formal imperative for usted in commands: Acompañe al invitado. The form acompañe (with the same root and ending) is sometimes seen in various spellings, but the standard subjunctive present forms are as listed above. A form with acute accent on the final e, acompañé, is a different tense (preterite) meaning “I accompanied.”

Etymology and related forms: Acompañar derives from a- plus compañar, related to palabras such as compañía and compañero, which share a root connected to company or fellowship. The noun compañía, for example, denotes a group or association, and compañero denotes a partner or companion; these words reflect the same notion of accompaniment that the verb conveys.

Usage notes: Acompañe occurs in subordinate clauses after verbs of desire, doubt, emotion, or after certain impersonal expressions, and in formal addresses. In everyday informal speech, people more commonly use other forms such as acompañas (tú) or acompañaste (pretérito). The form is thus mainly associated with formal writing and polite speech.