bailéis

Bailéis is the second-person plural present subjunctive form of the Spanish verb bailar, meaning to dance. It is used in subordinate clauses that require the present subjunctive, and it is most common in Peninsular Spanish where the vosotros form is part of everyday speech.

Form and paradigm: The present subjunctive of bailar is: yo baile, tú bailes, él/ella/Ud. baile, nosotros bailemos, vosotros bailéis, ellos/Uds. bailen. Bailéis appears when the subject is "vosotros" and the clause demands the subjunctive mood, as in expressions of doubt, desire, possibility, necessity or emotion. In many Latin American varieties, vosotros and its subjunctive bailéis are rarely used; instead, ustedes and bailen are employed in both main and subordinate clauses.

Usage and examples: Bailéis is used in sentences that express wishes, recommendations, or hypothetical situations requiring the subjunctive. Examples include: "Espero que vosotros bailéis en la fiesta" (I hope that you all dance at the party), "Es posible que bailéis toda la noche" (It is possible that you all dance all night), and "Quiero que no bailéis demasiado rápido" (I want you all not to dance too fast). Negative and affirmative forms in subjunctive contexts both take bailéis where the subject is vosotros, with the corresponding subordinate clause triggering the mood.

Regional variation: Because many Spanish varieties use ustedes instead of vosotros, the corresponding present subjunctive form bailen is more common outside Spain. In formal or literary writing that targets Peninsular Spanish readers, bailéis may appear more frequently.

Notes: Bailéis, like other present subjunctive forms, is not used for direct commands; the affirmative vosotros command is bailaréis? No; the affirmative vosotros command is bailad, while bailéis appears only in subjunctive contexts.