Respirasteis

Respirasteis is the second-person plural form of the Spanish verb respirar in the pretérito perfecto simple, used with the informal plural you (vosotros) in Spain. It translates to “you all breathed” or “you breathed” in English. It is one of the standard preterite forms for -ar verbs.

Formation and form: The verb respirar follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the pretérito. The stem is respir-, and the endings for the preterite are -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron. Therefore, the form for vosotros is respirasteis. This contrasts with the tú form respiraste and the ustedes/ellos form respiraron.

Usage: Respirasteis is used to describe actions completed in the past by a group of people addressed informally as vosotros. It is common in Spain and in regions where the vosotros form is standard. Examples: “Después de la carrera, respirasteis con dificultad.” and “¿Qué respirasteis al salir del edificio?” In Latin American dialects, where vosotros is not typically used, the corresponding past tense for ustedes is respiraron: “Después de la carrera, respiraron con dificultad.”

Etymology and related forms: Respirar derives from the Latin respirare, meaning to breathe again. The preterite forms are regular for -ar verbs, with the distinctive vosotros endings. Related forms include present indicative respiráis (you all breathe), imperfect respirabais (you all were breathing / you used to breathe), and the periphrastic future with haber and breathed forms in compound tenses.