reuníais

Reuníais is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb reunir in the second-person plural, traditionally used with the pronoun vosotros. It translates roughly as “you all were gathering” or “you all used to gather.” In many Spanish-speaking regions outside Spain, where vosotros is uncommon, the corresponding past tense would be expressed with ustedes or a different regional form (for example, ustedes reunían).

Etymology and meaning: reuníais comes from the verb reunirse or reunir, which derive from Latin re- (again, back) plus unire (to unite, join). The sense is to bring people or things together for a meeting, an event, or a common purpose.

Conjugation and usage: As an imperfect indicative, reuníais follows the regular pattern for -ir/-er verbs in the vosotros form. Full paradigm for the imperfect is: yo reunía, tú reunías, él reunía, nosotros reuníamos, vosotros reuníais, ellos reunían. The accent on the í in reuníais marks the stressed syllable, a characteristic of the imperfect endings in this person and number.

Notes on reflexive use: The form can appear with a reflexive pronoun when meaning “to meet” oneself or to meet with others, as in os reuníais. In that case the sentence would focus on the act of meeting together: vosotros os reuníais.

Related terms: The noun reunion or reunión derives from the same root, and the related verb reunirse emphasizes the act of meeting or coming together.

See also: Reunión, reunirse, reunido.