recostáis

Recostáis is the second-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb recostar, meaning to recline, lie back, or rest one’s body against something. The action can be transitive (you lay something down or against something) or reflexive when the subject rests itself, in which case the common form is os recostáis.

In practice, the reflexive use is the standard way to express the meaning of lying down: vosotros os recostáis. The non-reflexive use is possible when a direct object is specified, for example recostáis la cabeza sobre la almohada, where the action is performed on a part of the body rather than on the subject itself.

Conjugation and related forms. Beyond present indicative, related forms include the present subjunctive for vosotros (recostéis) and the imperative forms: recostad (affirmative) and no recostéis (negative). The verb is commonly used in Spain, where the vosotros forms are standard; in most of Latin America, ustedes se recuestan is typically used instead of corresponding vosotros forms.

Usage notes. Recostar originates from the base verb with the prefix re- and is used in contexts involving resting, reclining, or leaning back. The reflexive construction os recostáis emphasizes that the subject is performing the action on itself, which is the usual sense when talking about lying down to rest.

See also. Recostarse, which is the reflexive form used to indicate lying down oneself; related verbs include acostar and descansar. Pronunciation varies by region, but the written forms follow standard Spanish orthography.