recobrar

rre-ko-brarrekoˈβɾaɾ

“recobrar” means “to recover” in Spanish (getting back a lost physical object).

to recover, to regain

Also: to get back, to retrieve

VerbB1regular ar

General

A child happily finding their lost teddy bear under a wooden bench.

gerundrecobrando

past Participlerecobrado

infinitiverecobrar

📝 In Action

Después de buscar por horas, logré recobrar mis llaves.

After searching for hours, I managed to recover my keys.

El paciente está empezando a recobrar las fuerzas.

The patient is starting to regain his strength.

Esperamos que la ciudad recobre su antigua belleza.

We hope the city regains its former beauty.

Word Connections

Synonyms

recuperar (to recover)
rescatar (to rescue/retrieve)

Antonyms

perder (to lose)
extraviar (to misplace)

Common Collocations

recobrar el conocimiento – to regain consciousness
recobrar el sentido – to come to one's senses
recobrar el tiempo perdido – to make up for lost time

Idioms & Expressions

recobrar el aliento – To catch one's breath after running or a shock.

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yorecobrara

túrecobraras

él/ella/ustedrecobrara

nosotrosrecobráramos

vosotrosrecobrarais

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecobraran

Present Subjunctive

yorecobre

túrecobres

él/ella/ustedrecobre

nosotrosrecobremos

vosotrosrecobréis

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecobren

Indicative

Preterite

yorecobré

túrecobraste

él/ella/ustedrecobró

nosotrosrecobramos

vosotrosrecobrasteis

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecobraron

Imperfect

yorecobraba

túrecobrabas

él/ella/ustedrecobraba

nosotrosrecobrábamos

vosotrosrecobrabais

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecobraban

Present

yorecobro

túrecobras

él/ella/ustedrecobra

nosotrosrecobramos

vosotrosrecobráis

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecobran

View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "recobrar" in Spanish:

to recover→to regain→to retrieve→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: recobrar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is the most likely thing you would 'recobrar'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

recobro(recovery/recovery of a debt) — Noun

recobramiento(the act of recovering) — Noun

recobrable(recoverable) — Adjective

🎵 Rhymes▼

sobrar cobrar

📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'recuperāre', which is made of 're-' (meaning 'again') and 'capere' (meaning 'to take'). It literally means to take something back again.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: recoverFrench: recouvrer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'recobrar' the same as 'recuperar'?

Almost! They are synonyms. 'Recuperar' is used more often in daily conversation, while 'recobrar' sounds a bit more formal or poetic.

Can I use 'recobrar' for people?

Generally, no. You recobrar things or states (like health). If you want to say you 'got a person back' (like an ex), you would usually use 'recuperar'.

Is it a 'stem-changing' verb?

No, it is a perfectly regular 'ar' verb. The root 'recobr-' never changes.