volviéramos

Volviéramos is the first-person plural form of the imperfect subjunctive of the Spanish verb volver. It is used in dependent clauses to express hypothetical or non-real actions, often in sentences that convey doubt, desire, possibility, or counterfactual situations. It also appears in si-clauses that refer to present or future hypotheses, with the main clause typically in the conditional.

Form and variants: the imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third-person plural preterite form (volvieron) by removing -ron and adding the endings -ra or -se; thus volviéramos is the nosotros form in the -ra variant, and volviésemos is an alternative nosotros form. The corresponding forms for other persons are volvieran or volviesen (ellos/ellas/ustedes) and volviéramos or volviésemos (nosotros). The form carries an accent on the í to indicate the stressed syllable.

Usage: volviéramos appears in after certain expressions of doubt, wish, or possibility, and in conditional or counterfactual clauses. It is common in written Spanish, journalism, and formal registers, as well as in indirect speech when reporting past thoughts or statements that involve hypothetical returning.

Examples:

- Si volviéramos a empezar, haríamos las cosas de otra manera.

- No creí que volviéramos a ver esa casa.

- Como si volviéramos a viajar ahora mismo, necesitaríamos planificarlo mejor.

Etymology: volviéramos derives from volver with the standard form of the imperfect subjunctive endings (-ra/-se) in the nosotros person, reflecting older subjunctive morphology in Spanish.