desesperéis

Desesperáis is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb desesperar. It denotes that the subject you all (vosotros) despair or, with a direct object, cause someone else to despair. The same verb can be used reflexively in the form os desesperáis to mean that you yourselves become desperate, as in Con tanta demora, os desesperáis.

Etymology and meaning: the verb comes from Latin desperare, de- + sperare, “to lose hope.” In Spanish, desesperar can mean to cause someone to lose hope, to exhaust someone’s patience, or to become desperate oneself depending on construction.

Usage and regional variation: in Spain, vosotros forms are standard in informal second-person plural contexts, so desesperáis is commonly heard. In many Latin American varieties, ustedes are used instead of vosotros, and the present indicative for ustedes is desesperan, not desesperáis. Consequently, outside Spain, desesperáis might appear mainly in written texts or when trying to convey the Spain-specific form.

Related forms: the related noun is desesperación (desperation). Other verb forms include desespera (él/ella present), desesperáis (you all present), desesperéis (vosotros present subjunctive), and desesperaron (ellos/ellas preterite). The verb can be used transitively (desesperáis a alguien) or in reflexive constructions (os desesperáis).

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