Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- yo I recognise
- tú you recognise
- usted, él, ella he/she recognises
- nosotros we recognise
- vosotros Spain you all recognise
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they recognise
SPANISH VERB
reconocer
to recognise
- #74 most used
- Regular -er verb
- Gerund: reconociendo
- Past participle: reconocido
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Pretérito indefinido · finished actions
- yo I recognised
- tú you recognised
- usted, él, ella he/she recognised
- nosotros we recognised
- vosotros Spain you all recognised
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they recognised
Imperfect
Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- yo I used to recognise
- tú you used to recognise
- usted, él, ella he/she used to recognise
- nosotros we used to recognise
- vosotros Spain you all used to recognise
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to recognise
Future
Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common
- yo I will recognise
- tú you will recognise
- usted, él, ella he/she will recognise
- nosotros we will recognise
- vosotros Spain you all will recognise
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they will recognise
Conditional
Condicional · “would”
- yo I would recognise
- tú you would recognise
- usted, él, ella he/she would recognise
- nosotros we would recognise
- vosotros Spain you all would recognise
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they would recognise
Present subjunctive
Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”
- yo (that) I recognise
- tú (that) you recognise
- usted, él, ella (that) he/she recognise
- nosotros (that) we recognise
- vosotros Spain (that) you all recognise
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they recognise
Past subjunctive
Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”
- yo (if) I recognised
- tú (if) you recognised
- usted, él, ella (if) he/she recognised
- nosotros (if) we recognised
- vosotros Spain (if) you all recognised
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they recognised
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)
- tú recognise!
- usted recognise! (formal)
- nosotros recognise! (let’s)
- vosotros Spain recognise! (all of you)
- ustedes recognise! (all of you)
How to use reconocer
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Reconozco que tenías razón con lo del coche.
I admit you were right about the car.
-
Past
No te reconocí con el pelo tan corto.
I didn't recognise you with your hair so short.
-
Imperfect
Mi abuela ya no reconocía a casi nadie.
My grandmother no longer recognised almost anyone.
-
Future
Te reconocerán enseguida con ese sombrero.
They'll recognise you right away in that hat.
-
Conditional
Yo reconocería esa voz en cualquier parte.
I'd recognise that voice anywhere.
-
Present subjunctive
Es raro que no te reconozca, lleváis años trabajando juntos.
It's odd that he doesn't recognise you, you've worked together for years.
-
Past subjunctive
Me cambié de gafas para que nadie me reconociera.
I changed glasses so nobody would recognise me.
-
Imperative
¡Reconócelo, te has equivocado de calle!
Admit it, you took the wrong street!
Good to know
- "Reconocer" is also to admit: reconozco que me equivoqué. A doctor who "te reconoce" is examining you.
Where you hear reconocer
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Spanish · Advanced Level 2
- Con este traje, no me reconozco. In this dress, I don't recognise myself.
- No te reconocí en la foto, hija. I didn't recognise you in the photo, sweetheart.
- Cuando vuelvas a Boston, no te van a reconocer. When you go back to Boston, they won't recognise you.
Spanish · Fluency Level 2
- Reconozco que el pescaíto frito está bueno. I admit fried fish is good.
- La reconocí en cuanto entró por la puerta. I recognised her as soon as she came through the door.
- Algún día lo vas a reconocer. One day you'll admit it.
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.