respondeis

Respondeis is a verb form in Portuguese. It is the second-person plural present indicative of the verb responder when the subject is the archaic pronoun vós, meaning "you all respond." The form is characteristic of European Portuguese, where the pronoun vós persists in formal or liturgical registers; in many contemporary varieties, especially Brazilian Portuguese, the vós form is rarely used and speakers typically use "vocês respondem" to express the same meaning.

Etymology and status: Responder comes from Latin respondere, with the -eis suffix reflecting the old Iberian Romance pattern for the second-person plural in vós forms. In modern standard Portuguese, the common conversational alternatives are "tu respondes" for the singular informal and "vocês respondem" for the plural, while the vós forms, including respondeis, are primarily found in historical texts, religious services, or regional dialects that preserve older grammar.

Usage and context: Respondeis appears most often in formal writing, religious liturgy, or classical literature that retains archaic pronouns. In everyday speech across Portugal and many Portuguese-speaking communities, it is largely encountered as a stylistic or historical feature rather than a productive form in active conversation. Its presence signals a reference to older grammatical norms rather than to contemporary spoken Portuguese.

See also: Responder, Portuguese verbs, Vós.