Determináis

Determináis is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb determinar. It corresponds to “you determine” or “you decide” when addressing more than one person using the pronoun vosotros. The form is characteristic of Spain and regions that preserve the vosotros distinction; in many Latin American varieties, the equivalent subject pronoun is ustedes, with the verb form determinan.

Grammatical construction and paradigm: determináis is formed from the stem determin- plus the present-indicative ending -áis, which is standard for -ar verbs in the vosotros form. The full present indicative paradigm of determinar is: determino, determinas, determina, determináis, determinan. The corresponding present subjunctive for vosotros would be determinéis.

Usage and regional variation: determináis is used in informal plural address in Spain and other settings that retain vosotros. In countries where vosotros is not used, or in formal contexts, ustedes determinan serves as the standard form. The word also appears in legal, academic, and planning texts where an explicit second-person plural subject is natural. In the present subjunctive, determinéis is used instead of determinéis, depending on mood and construction.

Etymology: determináis derives from the verb determinar, which in turn comes from Latin determinare (de- “bound, define” + terminare “to end, define”). The sense includes fixing boundaries, deciding, or establishing parameters.

Examples:

- Vosotros determináis las condiciones del contrato antes de firmarlo.

- Si determináis las fechas con antelación, evitaréis retrasos.