estuviéramos

Estuviéramos is the imperfect subjunctive form of the verb estar, used for the first-person plural (nosotros/nosotras). It belongs to the set of subjunctive endings that express doubt, possibility, wishes, or hypothetical situations in the past or in dependent clauses. In standard pronunciation the accent on the i marks the irregular stress of this form.

In practice, estuviéramos appears in contexts such as si clauses, where a hypothetical past or present situation is described. For example: Si nosotros estuviéramos allí, podríamos ayudar. It is also used after expressions of desire or in polite or formal constructions, such as Quisiera que estuviéramos presentes or Ojalá estuviéramos de acuerdo.

Usage notes:

- Si clauses: estuviéramos can express a contrary-to-fact condition, often paired with a main clause in the conditional or future-in-the-puture sense.

- Wishes and indirect requests: estuviéramos is found in clauses after verbs of wishing, regret, or preference, typically with volition or emotion in a past or hypothetical frame.

- Variants: the imperfect subjunctive of estar also appears in the -se variant (estuviera, estuviésemos, etc.), and in some dialects different spellings such as estuviéramos or estuviéramos with slight orthographic variation may be encountered.

Formation: estuviéramos is formed from the irregular stem estu vier- (from the preterite estuve/estuv-) plus the imperfect-subjunctive nosotros ending -áramos or -iéramos, depending on the variant, with the accent placed to indicate proper stress.

Overall, estuviéramos is a common and productive form in Spanish, essential for expressing hypothetical past states, wishes, and conditions in subordinate clauses.