Recoger Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

As an irregular verb, the conjugations of Spanish verb “recoger” – meaning “to pick up” – present unique challenges for learners.

Its variations occur for phonetic reasons, notably with the letter ‘g’ changing to ‘j’ in a few tenses.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James. Throughout this guide, you’ll find comprehensive “recoger” conjugation tables, including simple tenses, compound tenses, and the subjunctive and imperative mood.

Whether you’re a beginner who is new to Spanish verb conjugation patterns, or seeking to deepen your understanding of irregular verbs like “recoger,” this guide provides an easy introduction to the usage of this Spanish verb in various contexts with a verb chart for each tense. 

Under each verb chart, you will also find English translations with some insights into its usage in Spanish-speaking countries.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recojo
you	tú	recoges
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	recoge
we	nosotros,nosotras	recogemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	recogéis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	recogen

When We Use the Present Tense

The present tense in Spanish is used to describe actions that are currently happening, habitual actions, and general truths. 

In Spanish, we can also use it for future actions when accompanied by certain time indicators.

The present continuous (separate from the present tense), can also describe ongoing actions, by using the verb ”estar” and the present participle (for example “yo estoy recogiendo”). 

For now, though, let’s focus on the present simple forms of the verb ”recoger” with examples.

Examples of “Recoger” in the Present Tense

• Yo recojo los libros todas las tardes. (I pick up the books every afternoon.)
• Tú recoges las flores del jardín. (You pick the flowers from the garden.)
• Él recoge la ropa del suelo. (He picks up the clothes from the floor.)
• Nosotros recogemos la basura cada viernes. (We pick up the trash every Friday.)
• Vosotros recogéis las hojas caídas en otoño. (You all pick up the fallen leaves in autumn.)
• Ellos recogen los juguetes después de jugar. (They pick up the toys after playing.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recogí
you	tú	recogiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	recogió
we	nosotros, nosotras	recogimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	recogisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	recogieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish is used to express actions that were completed in the past at a specific point in time.

In English, the translation of “recoger” in the preterite tense is “I picked up”, “you picked up”, “he picked up” etc. 

I have provided examples of these in context below. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Preterite Tense

• Yo recogí las llaves esta mañana. (I picked up the keys this morning.)
• Tú recogiste las compras en el supermercado. (You picked up the groceries at the supermarket.)
• Él recogió la carta en el buzón. (He picked up the letter from the mailbox.)
• Nosotros recogimos los niños del colegio. (We picked up the kids from school.)
• Vosotros recogisteis los boletos para el cine. (You all picked up the tickets for the cinema.)
• Ellos recogieron las manzanas del árbol. (They picked up the apples from the tree.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recogía
you	tú	recogías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	recogía
we	nosotros, nosotras	recogíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	recogíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	recogían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as to provide background information or set the scene.

I remind learners all the time not to confuse the imperfect tense with the preterite tense. 

Remember, we use the imperfect tense in Spanish to describe ongoing past actions, and the preterite tense to describe fixed past actions. 

Below, you’ll find examples of “recoger” in the imperfect tense. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Imperfect Tense

• Yo recogía conchas en la playa cada verano. (I used to pick up seashells at the beach every summer.)
• Tú recogías las hojas del jardín todos los días. (You used to pick up the leaves from the garden every day.)
• Él/ella recogía leña para la chimenea. (He used to pick up firewood for the fireplace.)
• Nosotros recogíamos frutas en el huerto. (We used to pick up fruits in the orchard.)
• Vosotros recogíais las piedras del camino. (You all used to pick up the stones from the path.)
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes recogían la ropa tendida antes de que lloviera. (They used to pick up the laundry before it rained.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recogeré
you	tú	recogerás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	recogerá
we	nosotros,nosotras	recogeremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	recogeréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	recogerán

When We Use the Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will happen in the future.

For example, “I will pick up” is an example of future tense use. 

All Spanish verbs are regular in the future tense, which means all you need to do is learn the endings that we place after the infinitive form. 

In the “recoger” conjugation chart above, you will see these endings. I have also written example sentences below.

Examples of “Recoger” in the Future Tense

• Yo recogeré a mi hermano en el aeropuerto mañana. (I will pick up my brother at the airport tomorrow.)
• Tú recogerás tus cosas antes de salir. (You will pick up your things before leaving.)
• Él recogerá las llaves en la recepción. (He will pick up the keys at the reception.)
• Nosotros recogeremos la mesa después de cenar. (We will pick up the table after dinner.)
• Vosotros recogeréis los juguetes antes de ir a dormir. (You all will pick up the toys before going to sleep.)
• Ellos recogerán las cartas del buzón por la mañana. (They will pick up the letters from the mailbox in the morning.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recogería
you	tú	recogerías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	recogería
we	nosotros,nosotras	recogeríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	recogeríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	recogerían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions.

Just like the future tense, all you need to do to remember “recoger” in the conditional tense is learn the endings, which we place at the end of the infinitive form. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Conditional Tense

• Yo recogería a tus hijos si estuviera disponible. (I would pick up your children if I were available.)
• Tú recogerías las flores si tuvieras un jarrón. (You would pick up the flowers if you had a vase.)
• Él recogería el correo si estuviera en casa. (He would pick up the mail if he were at home.)
• Nosotros recogeríamos la mesa si tuviéramos invitados. (We would pick up the table if we had guests.)
• Vosotros recogeríais los papeles si estuvieran ordenados. (You all would pick up the papers if they were organized.)
• Ellos recogerían la basura si hubiera contenedores. (They would pick up the trash if there were bins.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	he	recogido
you	tú	has	recogido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	recogido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	recogido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	recogido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	recogido

When We Use the Perfect Tense

We use the perfect tense in Spanish to express actions that have been completed in the past immediately before another action or at some point in the past. 

When we want to form the perfect tense in Spanish, we need to conjugate the auxilary verb “haber” – meaning “to have” – and use the past participle of “recojer” – which is “recogido”.

Get used to this! For the perfect tense, as well as the pluperfect tense, the future perfect tense, and the conditional perfect tense, you need to learn each “haber” conjugation and add the past participle of the verb you are using.

Examples of “Recoger” in the Preterite Perfect Tense

• Yo he recogido las llaves antes de salir. (I have picked up the keys before leaving.)
• Tú has recogido tus cosas después de la fiesta. (You have picked up your things after the party.)
• Él/ella ha recogido la ropa del tendedero. (He has picked up the laundry from the clothesline.)
• Nosotros hemos recogido los platos sucios. (We have picked up the dirty dishes.)
• Vosotros habéis recogido las herramientas del jardín. (You all have picked up the tools from the garden.)
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes han recogido los libros de la biblioteca. (They have picked up the books from the library.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	había	recogido
you	tú	habías	recogido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	recogido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	recogido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	recogido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	recogido

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that had been completed before another past action or point in time.

So, the translation is “I had picked up”, “you had picked up”, etc. 

As mentioned in the last section, the pluperfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb ”haber” and the past participle.

Examples of “Recoger” in the Pluperfect Tense

• Yo había recogido las llaves cuando me llamaste. (I had picked up the keys when you called me.)
• Tú habías recogido la ropa antes de que empezara a llover. (You had picked up the laundry before it started raining.)
• Él/ella había recogido la correspondencia cuando llegaste. (He had picked up the mail when you arrived.)
• Nosotros habíamos recogido los juguetes antes de la visita. (We had picked up the toys before the visit.)
• Vosotros habíais recogido los documentos antes de la reunión. (You all had picked up the documents before the meeting.)
• Ellos/ellas habían recogido la basura antes de que oscureciera. (They had picked up the trash before it got dark.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habré	recogido
you	tú	habrás	recogido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	recogido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	recogido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	recogido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	recogido

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.

For example, “I will have picked up”. We can use this tense when we want to say we will have done something before or after something else taking place. 

The sentences below should help you make sense of this. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Future Perfect Tense

• Yo habré recogido todas mis cosas antes de la mudanza. (I will have picked up all my things before the move.)
• Tú habrás recogido los regalos para la fiesta. (You will have picked up the gifts for the party.)
• Él/ella habrá recogido la cena cuando lleguemos. (He will have picked up dinner by the time we arrive.)
• Nosotros habremos recogido todas las muestras antes de la presentación. (We will have picked up all the samples before the presentation.)
• Vosotros habréis recogido el equipaje antes del vuelo. (You all will have picked up the luggage before the flight.)
• Ellos/ellas habrán recogido las entradas para el concierto. (They will have picked up the tickets for the concert.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habría	recogido
you	tú	habrías	recogido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	recogido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	recogido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	recogido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	recogido

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

So, the translation of the “recoger” conjugation in the first person singular is “I would have picked up”. 

You can use this tense with the imperfect subjunctive tense to form sentences like the ones I have written below. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Conditional Perfect Tense

• Yo habría recogido los libros si me lo hubieras pedido. (I would have picked up the books if you had asked me.)
• Tú habrías recogido las flores si hubieras tenido un jarrón. (You would have picked up the flowers if you had had a vase.)
• Él habría recogido el correo si hubiera estado en casa. (He would have picked up the mail if he had been home.)
• Nosotros habríamos recogido la mesa si hubiéramos tenido invitados. (We would have picked up the table if we had had guests.)
• Vosotros habríais recogido los papeles si estuvieran ordenados. (You all would have picked up the papers if they had been organized.)
• Ellos habrían recogido la basura si hubiera habido contenedores. (They would have picked up the trash if there had been bins.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recoja
you	tú	recojas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	recoja
we	nosotros,nosotras	recojamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	recojáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	recojan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, or possibilities in the present or future, often after certain conjunctions.

Knowing when to use the subjunctive properly can take a little time to learn with plenty of practice required. 

However, “recojer” is not difficult to conjugate in the present subjunctive form. 

Examples of “Recoger” in the Present Subjunctive

• Es necesario que yo recoja todos los juguetes. (It’s necessary that I pick up all the toys.)
• Quiero que tú recojas las llaves antes de salir. (I want you to pick up the keys before leaving.)
• Espero que él recoja la ropa del suelo. (I hope he picks up the clothes from the floor.)
• Dudo que nosotros recojamos la basura esta noche. (I doubt we’ll pick up the trash tonight.)
• Ojalá que vosotros recojáis los papeles pronto. (I hope you all pick up the papers soon.)
• No creo que ellos/ellas/ustedes recojan los platos sucios. (I don’t think they’ll pick up the dirty dishes.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	recogiera, recogiese
you	tú	recogieras, recogieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	recogiera, recogiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	recogiéramos, recogiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	recogierais, recogieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	recogieran, recogiesen

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

This subjunctive mood in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, or possibilities in the past, often after certain conjunctions.

Again, it can take time to learn when to use the imperfect subjunctive, but the conjugations do follow the patterns of verbs ending in -cer.

Examples of “Recoger” in the Imperfect Subjunctive

• Si yo recogiera todas las cosas, estaría más ordenado. (If I were to pick up all the things, it would be tidier.)
• Preferiría que tú recogieras la mesa después de comer. (I would prefer you to pick up the table after eating.)
• Era necesario que él recogiera las hojas del jardín. (It was necessary for him to pick up the leaves from the garden.)
• No creía que nosotros recogiéramos todo a tiempo. (I didn’t believe we would pick everything up on time.)
• Deseaba que vosotros recogierais los juguetes antes de dormir. (I wished you all would pick up the toys before sleeping.)
• Dudaba que ellos recogieran los libros de la biblioteca. (I doubted they would pick up the books from the library.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡recoge!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡recoja!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡recojamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡recoged!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡recojan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish is used to give commands or requests in a direct and affirmative manner. When using the affirmative imperative for the Spanish verb “recoger,” we are instructing someone to pick up or gather something.

Examples of the Affirmative Imperative for the Spanish Verb “Recoger”

• ¡Recoge los libros del suelo! (Pick up the books from the floor!)
• Recoge las hojas secas del patio. (Gather the dry leaves from the yard.)
• Recoged todas las sillas al finalizar la reunión. (Collect all the chairs at the end of the meeting.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡no recojas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no recoja!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no recojamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no recojáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no recojan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Spanish is used to give a negative command or requests in a negative form. When using the negative imperative for the Spanish verb “recoger,” we are instructing someone not to pick up or gather something.

Examples of the Negative Imperative for the Spanish Verb “Recoger”

• No recojas las flores del jardín. (Don’t pick the flowers from the garden.)
• No recogas la mesa, aún estamos comiendo. (Don’t clear the table, we’re still eating.)
• No recoja usted los objetos que no le pertenecen. (Don’t pick up objects that don’t belong to you.)
• No recogías las conchas de la playa, son parte del ecosistema. (Don’t pick up the seashells from the beach, they’re part of the ecosystem.)

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