unirse
/uniɾse/from spelling rules
To become a member of a group or organization in Spanish is unirse.
Which one should you use?
While unirse is a standard way to say to join, you may encounter sumarse, which is a synonym used across Spain and various Latin American countries. In more formal or professional settings, you might use incorporarse a to mean joining or becoming part of something or formar parte de to mean being part of something.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The synonym sumarse is common throughout Spain and Latin America.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to specify the group or organization that someone is joining, you must use the preposition a after the verb, forming the construction unirse a. In the third person singular present tense, the reflexive pronoun se precedes the conjugated verb, resulting in se une for he/she joins.
How do you pronounce it?
/uniɾse/
Did you know?
- The synonym sumarse comes from the word for 'addition' in mathematics. While unirse is about connection, sumarse literally suggests adding oneself to a total count.
- Spanish uses the reflexive se in unirse because joining is viewed as an action the subject performs upon themselves to change their own status.
- While unirse means joining a group, the word unión is used in Spanish to describe both a labor union and a marriage.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría formar parte de su equipoI would like to join your team
- El empleado se incorporó a la empresa hoyThe employee joined the company today
- El profesor decidió unirse a la asociaciónThe professor decided to join the association
- Mis amigos se metieron en la banda de músicaMy friends joined the music band
- Voy a engancharme a ese proyectoI'm going to join that project
- Quiero unirme al club.I want to join the club.
- Él decidió unirse al equipo de fútbol.He decided to join the soccer team.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about a local sports club.
- MaríaHola Mateo, ¿quieres unirse al club?Hi Mateo, do you want to join the club?
- MateoSí, me gustaría mucho unirse.Yes, I would really like to join.
- MaríaSolo tienes que llenar este formulario.You just have to fill out this form.
- MateoPerfecto, lo haré ahora mismo.Perfect, I will do it right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry unirse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
