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How to Say "to unite" in Spanish

English → Spanish

unir

/oo-NEER//uˈniɾ/

verbA1general
Use 'unir' when you are physically bringing two or more separate things or concepts together, or joining them with something like glue or a link.
A close-up view of two thick, colorful ropes being knotted together to form a single continuous length.

Examples

Tienes que unir las dos piezas con pegamento.

You have to join the two pieces with glue.

El director quiere unir los esfuerzos de ambos equipos.

The director wants to unite the efforts of both teams.

La costurera unió la tela con hilo rojo.

The seamstress joined the fabric with red thread.

Regular -IR Verb

Unir is a regular verb, meaning its endings follow the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ir, making it easy to conjugate.

Mixing up 'unir' and 'estar unido'

Mistake: “Los cables son unidos. (The cables are joined.)”

Correction: Los cables están unidos. (The cables are joined.) 'Unir' is the action, 'estar unido' is the resulting state.

unirse

/oo-NEER-seh//uˈniɾse/

verbB1general
Use 'unirse' when people, groups, or nations decide to come together for a common purpose, often implying collaboration or alliance.
Two stylized hands of different colors firmly grasping each other in a handshake, symbolizing unity and collaboration.

Examples

Es crucial que todos los vecinos se unan para limpiar el parque.

It is crucial that all the neighbors unite to clean the park.

Las dos empresas se unieron el año pasado.

The two companies merged last year.

The Meaning of Plural Reflexive

When used with 'nosotros' (we) or 'ellos' (they), 'unirse' often describes a reciprocal action—they are uniting with each other.

Using 'unir' for group action

Learners often incorrectly use 'unir' when they mean for people to come together for a common goal. Remember that 'unir' is for connecting objects or ideas, while 'unirse' is for people or groups joining forces.

Related Translations

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