fuistis

Fuistis is the second-person plural perfect indicative form of the Latin verb esse, meaning “you were” or “you have been.” It expresses a past state or existence for the addressed plural subject and is used in both narrative and descriptive contexts.

In Latin, the verb esse is irregular in its perfect tense. The usual full set of perfect active forms is: fui (I was/have been), fuistī (you were/have been), fuit (he/she/it was), fuimus (we were/have been), fuistis (you all were/have been), and fuerunt (they were/have been). The form fuistis thus marks the second person plural subject in the past.

Usage notes:

Fuistis appears in classical and later Latin where a past state of being is attributed to “you all.” It is common in historical narration, dialogue, and descriptive passages. In some texts, especially poetry or stylistic variants, the 3rd plural may appear as fuerunt rather than fuērunt, but fuerunt is the standard form in most prose.

Example:

Vos fuistis laeti in die illo. Translation: You were happy on that day.

Fuistis is one of the key forms for expressing past existence in Latin and is contrasted with forms like sumus (we are) and eramus (we were) from different tenses or voices. Related topics include the verb esse itself and the broader patterns of Latin conjugation.