How to Say "to regain" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to regain” is “recobrar” — use 'recobrar' when getting back something intangible like health, strength, consciousness, or even lost items..
recobrar
/rre-ko-brar//rekoˈβɾaɾ/
Examples
Después de la enfermedad, poco a poco recobró sus fuerzas.
After the illness, little by little he regained his strength.
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.
A perfectly regular verb
You don't have to worry about weird spelling changes here! It follows the exact same pattern as common verbs like 'hablar'.
Using it with feelings
In Spanish, we often 'recobrar' things like hope (esperanza) or calm (calma), just like we recover physical items.
Don't confuse with 'Recordar'
Mistake: “Recobré su nombre.”
Correction: Recordé su nombre. Use 'recordar' to remember a thought, and 'recobrar' to get a physical object or physical state back.
retomar
/reh-toh-mar//re.toˈmaɾ/
Examples
El equipo intentará retomar el primer puesto en la próxima carrera.
The team will try to retake the first place in the next race.
Las tropas retomaron la ciudad al amanecer.
The troops retook the city at dawn.
El equipo espera retomar el liderato en el próximo partido.
The team hopes to regain the lead in the next game.
Recobrar vs. Retomar: Intangible vs. Tangible
Related Translations
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