Inklingo

How to Say "to recharge" in Spanish

The Spanish word forto rechargeis recargarA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
verbA2
batteries or electronics
A colorful smartphone on a wooden table connected to a bright green charging cable with a glowing battery icon on the screen.

Examples

Necesito recargar mi teléfono móvil.

I need to recharge my cell phone.

Voy a la tienda para recargar mi tarjeta del autobús.

I'm going to the store to top up my bus card.

Después de una semana dura, necesito dormir para recargar las pilas.

After a hard week, I need to sleep to recharge my batteries (get my energy back).

The Spelling 'G' to 'GU'

When 'recargar' is followed by an 'e', we add a 'u' to keep the hard 'G' sound. For example, in the past tense 'I recharged' is 'recargué', not 'recargé'.

Recargar vs. Cargar

Use 'recargar' specifically when something was full and is now empty. If you are just putting a load on a truck for the first time, use 'cargar'.

Spelling in the Past

Mistake:Yo recargé mi teléfono.

Correction: Yo recargué mi teléfono. You need the 'u' to make sure the 'g' sounds like it does in 'guitar' rather than 'giant'.

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