cuestionasteis

Cuestionasteis is the second-person plural form of the pretérito indefinido (also called pretérito simple) of the Spanish verb cuestionar. It is used primarily in Spain to address a group informally (vosotros). In most Spanish-speaking regions that do not use vosotro, the equivalent past tense for ustedes is cuestionaron. The form literally means “you questioned” or “you raised questions” about something.

Cuestionar is a regular -ar verb. In the pretérito indefinido, the complete paradigm for this verb is: cuestioné, cuestionaste, cuestionó, cuestionamos, cuestionasteis, cuestionaron. This makes cuestionasteis a predictable fit for the vosotros subject in past narrative or descriptive contexts.

Usage and nuance: Cuestionasteis indicates that a group conducted questioning, doubts were raised, or a challenge was made to a claim, decision, or data in the past. It can appear in formal writing, journalism, debates, and everyday speech. The exact nuance depends on the surrounding context, but it generally conveys an action of inquiry or skepticism performed by the addressed group.

Regional variation: The vosotros form, including cuestionasteis, is standard in Spain and in some communities that retain informal second-person plural address. In many Latin American varieties, where the vosotros form is not used, the past tense for ustedes or the plural subject is typically cuestionaron.

Etymology: Cuestionasteis derives from cuestionar, from cuesti- “questión” (from Latin quaestio) + -ar, with the noun cuesti ón (question) underlying the meaning of the verb.