recuperado
/reh-koo-peh-RAH-doh/
recovered
When used as an adjective, recuperado describes someone or something that has returned to a normal, healthy state, like this fully recovered plant.
recuperado(Adjective)
recovered
?health or normal state
,retrieved
?lost object
well again
?health
,mended
?damage/injury
📝 In Action
Después de la cirugía, mi tío está completamente **recuperado**.
A2After the surgery, my uncle is completely recovered.
El teléfono robado fue **recuperado** por la policía.
B1The stolen phone was retrieved by the police.
Me alegra ver que la inversión está **recuperada** y dando beneficios.
B2I'm happy to see that the investment is recovered and generating profit.
💡 Grammar Points
Adjective Agreement
As an adjective, 'recuperado' must change its ending to match the person or thing it describes (e.g., recuperada for a female, recuperados for plural things).
Use with ESTAR
When describing a state of health or condition, use the verb estar (to be): Estoy recuperado (I am recovered/well).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Mixing up SER and ESTAR
Mistake: "Soy recuperado."
Correction: Soy means 'I am recovered forever' which sounds odd. Use 'Estoy recuperado' to describe your current state of wellness.
⭐ Usage Tips
Quick Check-in
A simple way to ask how someone is doing after an illness is: '¿Estás recuperado/a?'
As a past participle, recuperado is used with forms of 'haber' to indicate that the action of recovery or retrieval has been completed.
recuperado(Past Participle)
recovered
?used after 'haber' to form perfect tenses
,retrieved
?used after 'haber' or 'ser'
📝 In Action
Hemos **recuperado** la confianza en el equipo después de la victoria.
B1We have recovered confidence in the team after the victory.
Ella ya había **recuperado** su voz antes de la presentación.
B2She had already recovered her voice before the presentation.
Los documentos fueron **recuperados** del disco duro dañado.
B2The documents were recovered from the damaged hard drive.
💡 Grammar Points
Forming Perfect Tenses
This form combines with the helping verb haber (to have) to create perfect tenses, showing an action that was completed: He recuperado (I have recovered).
Invariable with HABER
When used with haber to form perfect tenses, the past participle is usually 'recuperado' and does not change its ending, regardless of who did the action: Ellos han recuperado.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Changing the ending with HABER
Mistake: "Hemos recuperados la energía."
Correction: When using *haber*, the participle stays masculine singular: 'Hemos recuperado la energía.' Only change the ending if using it as a standalone adjective.
⭐ Usage Tips
The 'Completed' Action
Think of 'recuperado' here as the 'finished' state of the action 'to recover.' It always needs a helping verb to work in a sentence.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: recuperado
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'recuperado' as an adjective?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'estar recuperado' and 'haber recuperado'?
'Estar recuperado' (Adjective) describes the current state of being well or retrieved: *El perro está recuperado* (The dog is well again). 'Haber recuperado' (Past Participle + Auxiliary Verb) describes the completed action of recovering: *El perro ha recuperado su juguete* (The dog has recovered its toy).
Does 'recuperado' mean the same thing in medical and financial contexts?
Yes, the core meaning is the same: to get back what was lost. In medicine, you get back health. In finance, you get back money or assets.