Why Juntar Is the Everyday Verb for Putting Things Together
Juntar is the everyday verb for putting things together or gathering them, and it is regular. Its reflexive form juntarse is the usual way to say you meet up or hang out in much of Latin America, where Spain says quedar.
Learn the six chunks below and you will plan meetups, gather things and ask for the bill in a natural way.
Pattern 1: Juntarse con… — "To get together / hang out with…"
Use con for the people you meet. ¿Nos juntamos? is the casual way to propose a plan. In Spain, you would say ¿quedamos?; see [Quedar] Chunks.
- Me junto con mis amigos los sábados. — I hang out with my friends on Saturdays.
- ¿Nos juntamos mañana? — Shall we get together tomorrow?
- Se junta con gente muy simpática. — She hangs out with very nice people.
Chunk to learn:
Juntarse con + [persona] / ¿Nos juntamos?
Pattern 2: Juntar las cosas — "To gather things together"
The basic meaning: collect things in one place or join them. It works for tables, papers, toys, anything. For putting things inside something, see [Meter] Chunks.
- Junta las cosas en una bolsa. — Gather the things in a bag.
- Juntamos las mesas para la cena. — We pushed the tables together for dinner.
- Junta los papeles en una carpeta. — Put the papers together in a folder.
Chunk to learn:
Juntar + [cosas / mesas / papeles]
Pattern 3: Juntar plata — "To save up money"
In much of Latin America, you "gather" money bit by bit: juntar plata or juntar dinero. It also works when a group chips in for a gift. For saving in general, see [Ahorrar] Chunks.
- Estoy juntando plata para el viaje. — I'm saving up for the trip.
- Juntamos dinero entre todos para el regalo. — We pooled our money for the gift.
- Junté lo que pude para la entrada. — I scraped together what I could for the down payment.
Chunk to learn:
Juntar plata / dinero (para + [algo])
Pattern 4: Juntar fuerzas / valor — "To summon strength / courage"
Use it for gathering inner resources before something hard. It pairs naturally with atreverse; see [Atreverse] Chunks.
- Junté fuerzas para decírselo. — I gathered my strength to tell him.
- Tuvo que juntar valor. — She had to summon up courage.
- Junta ánimo, que ya casi termina. — Keep your spirits up, it's almost over.
Chunk to learn:
Juntar + [fuerzas / valor / ánimo]
Pattern 5: ¿Todo junto? — "Together / all in one?"
The adjective junto (juntos, junta, juntas) means together. It is what a waiter asks about the bill: ¿todo junto o separado?. For going together, see [Ir] Chunks.
- ¿Vamos juntos? — Shall we go together?
- Estamos juntos desde la escuela. — We've been together since school.
- ¿Todo junto o separado? — All together or separate?
Chunk to learn:
Ir / Estar juntos / ¿Todo junto o separado?
Pattern 6: Juntos pero no revueltos — "Together but not mixed"
A fixed, humorous idiom: close, but keeping your own space. Use it for shared homes, offices and families. Change the ending for the speakers: juntas pero no revueltas. For living together, see [Vivir] Chunks.
- En esta casa, juntos pero no revueltos. — In this house, together but not on top of each other.
- Trabajamos en equipo, pero cada uno con su espacio: juntos pero no revueltos. — We work as a team, but each with our own space.
- Mi hermana y yo compartimos cuarto: juntas pero no revueltas. — My sister and I share a room: together but not mixed.
Chunk to learn:
Juntos pero no revueltos
Juntar vs. Reunir vs. Unir
Juntar is the everyday verb for putting things or people together. Reunir is more formal: reunir documentos, reunirse con el jefe. Unir means to unite or join: unir dos piezas. When in doubt, juntar is the natural choice among friends.
Start with ¿nos juntamos? and ¿todo junto o separado?. You will use both the first time you eat out with Spanish speakers.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.