Inklingo

How to Say "gathers" in Spanish

English → Spanish

recoge

/reh-KOH-heh//reˈko.xe/

VerbA1/B1General
Use 'recoge' when someone is picking up or collecting physical items from a surface, or when gathering non-physical information like data or news.
A person's hand reaching down toward the ground, about to grasp a dropped bright red toy block.

Examples

Ella recoge los juguetes del suelo.

She picks up the toys from the floor.

Señora, por favor, recoge la mesa.

Madam, please, clear the table. (formal command)

¡Recoge tu mochila antes de salir!

Pick up your backpack before leaving! (informal command)

El periodista recoge datos para su artículo.

The journalist gathers data for his article.

Dual Use: Present Tense vs. Command

"Recoge" is used for two purposes: describing what 'he/she/it' or 'you (formal)' does now (Present Tense), AND giving an informal command to 'you' (tú) to do something immediately.

The 'G' to 'J' Change

Notice how the 'g' in 'recoger' becomes a 'j' in the 'yo' form (recojo) and in the special forms (Subjunctive) to keep the hard 'h' sound.

Figurative Use

When used with abstract nouns like 'información' or 'datos', 'recoger' means to compile or obtain something intellectually, not just physically picking it up.

Confusing informal command

Mistake:Using 'recojas' for the affirmative informal command.

Correction: The correct affirmative command for 'tú' is simply the third-person present tense: '¡Recoge!'. 'No recojas' is only used for negative commands.

reúne

VerbA2General
Use 'reúne' when the meaning is to bring people or a group of things together in one place, often for a specific purpose or event.

Examples

Él reúne a sus amigos todos los viernes.

He gathers his friends every Friday.

Physical Collection vs. Bringing Together

The most common mistake is using 'recoge' when you mean to bring people together. Remember, 'recoge' is for picking things up or collecting data, while 'reúne' is specifically for assembling people or objects in one location.

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