Inklingo

How to Say "to retrieve" in Spanish

English → Spanish

recuperar

reh-koo-peh-RAHR/re.ku.peˈɾaɾ/

verbA2general
Use 'recuperar' when you are getting back something that was lost, stolen, or inaccessible, such as data, files, or even a lost item that was returned to you.
A child's hand reaching down to pick up a brightly colored, lost teddy bear lying on the green grass.

Examples

Intenté recuperar los archivos borrados de mi disco duro.

I tried to recover the deleted files from my hard drive.

Perdí mi cartera, pero logré recuperarla gracias a la policía.

I lost my wallet, but I managed to recover it thanks to the police.

¿Cuándo vamos a recuperar el dinero que prestamos?

When are we going to get back the money we lent?

Necesito recuperar mis archivos después de que la computadora falló.

I need to retrieve my files after the computer failed.

Direct Object

When using 'recuperar', the thing you get back (the direct object) almost always comes immediately after the verb.

Confusing 'recuperar' and 'volver'

Mistake: “Quiero volver mi libro. (I want to return/come back my book.)”

Correction: Quiero recuperar mi libro. ('Volver' means 'to return' in the sense of 'to go back' or 'to give something back' to its owner, but 'recuperar' means to get something lost back for yourself.)

recobrar

/rre-ko-brar//rekoˈβɾaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'recobrar' when you are finding and taking back possession of an item you physically lost or misplaced, like keys or a wallet you actively searched for.
A child happily finding their lost teddy bear under a wooden bench.

Examples

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.

Data vs. Physical Items

Learners often confuse 'recuperar' and 'recobrar' by using them interchangeably for physical objects. Remember that 'recuperar' is more common for abstract things like data or when something is returned by a third party, while 'recobrar' implies actively finding and taking back something you lost.

Related Translations

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