recogiendo

/re-ko-HYEN-do/

picking up

A child bending over to pick up a colorful toy ball from a green lawn.

A child picking up a ball from the ground.

recogiendo(verb)

A2spelling-change er

picking up

lifting objects from a surface

gathering

collecting items together

Also:

harvesting

picking crops or fruit

📝 In Action

Llevo toda la mañana recogiendo mis juguetes.

I've been picking up my toys all morning.

Están recogiendo manzanas en el huerto.

They are gathering apples in the orchard.

Word Connections

Synonyms

levantando (lifting/picking up)
juntando (joining/gathering)

Antonyms

tirando (throwing/dropping)
esparciendo (scattering)

Common Collocations

recogiendo la cosecha – gathering the harvest
recogiendo basura – picking up trash

💡 Grammar Points

The -ing Form

This word is the 'doing' form (gerund) of the verb 'recoger'. In Spanish, you use '-iendo' for '-er' verbs to show an action is happening right now.

Spelling Rule

Even though the base verb 'recoger' sometimes changes its 'g' to a 'j' (like in 'recojo'), it keeps the 'g' in 'recogiendo' because it is followed by an 'i'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Spelling with J

Mistake: "recojiendo"

Correction: recogiendo (use 'g' because the next letter is 'i')

⭐ Usage Tips

Use with 'Estar'

To say 'I am picking up,' always use 'estoy' before 'recogiendo'.

A person waving and walking toward a car to be picked up by a friend.

Picking someone up from a location.

recogiendo(verb)

A2spelling-change er

picking up (someone)

fetching a person from a location

Also:

collecting

getting a package or order

📝 In Action

Estoy recogiendo a los niños del colegio.

I am picking up the kids from school.

Pasa la tarde recogiendo paquetes en la oficina.

He spends the afternoon collecting packages at the office.

Word Connections

Synonyms

buscando (looking for/fetching)

Common Collocations

recogiendo a alguien – picking someone up

💡 Grammar Points

The Personal 'A'

When 'recogiendo' refers to picking up a person, you must use 'a' before the person's name or title (e.g., 'recogiendo a María').

A hand placing a toy wooden block into a wooden storage box.

Tidying up and putting things in their proper place.

recogiendo(verb)

B1spelling-change er

tidying up

putting things in their proper place

clearing

removing items from a surface, like a table

📝 In Action

Termina de comer y ayuda recogiendo la mesa.

Finish eating and help by clearing the table.

Estamos recogiendo la casa porque viene visita.

We are tidying up the house because guests are coming.

Word Connections

Synonyms

ordenando (ordering/organizing)
limpiando (cleaning)

Common Collocations

recogiendo la habitación – tidying the room
recogiendo la mesa – clearing the table

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecogieran

yorecogiera

túrecogieras

vosotrosrecogierais

nosotrosrecogiéramos

él/ella/ustedrecogiera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecojan

yorecoja

túrecojas

vosotrosrecojáis

nosotrosrekojamos

él/ella/ustedrecoja

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecogieron

yorecogí

túrecogiste

vosotrosrecogisteis

nosotrosrecogimos

él/ella/ustedrecogió

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecogían

yorecogía

túrecogías

vosotrosrecogíais

nosotrosrecogíamos

él/ella/ustedrecogía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesrecogen

yorecojo

túrecoges

vosotrosrecogéis

nosotrosrecogemos

él/ella/ustedrecoge

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: recogiendo

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence means 'I am picking up my sister'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

recoger(to pick up) - verb

recogida(pickup/collection) - noun

recogedor(dustpan) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'recogiendo' always use a 'g'?

Yes. While the root verb 'recoger' changes to 'recojo' (with a J) before an 'o' or 'a', it always uses a 'g' when followed by 'e' or 'i', as in 'recogiendo'.

Can I use 'recogiendo' for cleaning the whole house?

Yes, it is very common to use it for 'tidying' or 'clearing away' clutter, though for deep cleaning you might use 'limpiando'.