Acoger Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb acoger means to welcome, to host, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Acoger means to welcome or to host, to receive someone warmly into your home, your city or your organisation. It is used for guests, refugees and new students, and it is a spelling-change verb: g becomes j before o and a. Like every Spanish verb, acoger changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say acojo a los invitados en su casa, and in the preterite you say acogí al estudiante nuevo en clase. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: acoger
- English: to welcome, to host
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: acogiendo
- Past participle: acogido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acogido)
- Spelling change: Spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acoger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes j before o and a, so the present is acojo and the subjunctive is acoja. Acoger is a warm welcome, not just receiving.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acoger. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acojo |
| tú | acoges |
| él/ella/Ud. | acoge |
| nosotros/as | acogemos |
| vosotros/as | acogéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acogí |
| tú | acogiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | acogió |
| nosotros/as | acogimos |
| vosotros/as | acogisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acogía |
| tú | acogías |
| él/ella/Ud. | acogía |
| nosotros/as | acogíamos |
| vosotros/as | acogíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acogeré |
| tú | acogerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | acogerá |
| nosotros/as | acogeremos |
| vosotros/as | acogeréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogerán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acogería |
| tú | acogerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | acogería |
| nosotros/as | acogeríamos |
| vosotros/as | acogeríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogerían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he acogido |
| tú | has acogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha acogido |
| nosotros/as | hemos acogido |
| vosotros/as | habéis acogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han acogido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había acogido |
| tú | habías acogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había acogido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos acogido |
| vosotros/as | habíais acogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían acogido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré acogido |
| tú | habrás acogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá acogido |
| nosotros/as | habremos acogido |
| vosotros/as | habréis acogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán acogido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría acogido |
| tú | habrías acogido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría acogido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos acogido |
| vosotros/as | habríais acogido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían acogido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acoja |
| tú | acojas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acoja |
| nosotros/as | acojamos |
| vosotros/as | acogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acojan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acogiera |
| tú | acogieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | acogiera |
| nosotros/as | acogiéramos |
| vosotros/as | acogierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acogieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acoge |
| él/ella/Ud. | acoja |
| nosotros/as | acojamos |
| vosotros/as | acoged |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acojan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acojas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acoja |
| nosotros/as | acojamos |
| vosotros/as | acogáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acojan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | acogiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy acogiendo |
| Past participle | acogido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he acogido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acojo a los invitados en su casa. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For acoger, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, acogí a los refugiados en la ciudad. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, acogía al estudiante nuevo en clase. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, acogeré al viajero con los brazos abiertos. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Acogería a los invitados en su casa si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acogido a los refugiados en la ciudad. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acogido al estudiante nuevo en clase antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acogido al viajero con los brazos abiertos. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acogido a los invitados en su casa con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. Note the spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For acoger, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acoja a los refugiados en la ciudad. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acoger, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acogiera al estudiante nuevo en clase, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. Note the spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For acoger, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Acoge al viajero con los brazos abiertos! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. Note the spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. For acoger, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acojas a los invitados en su casa. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with acoger, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Acojo a los invitados en su casa. — I welcome the guests in my house.
- Acoge a los refugiados en la ciudad. — He/she welcomes the refugees in the city.
- Ayer, acogí al estudiante nuevo en clase. — Yesterday, I welcomed the new student in class.
- Antes, nosotros acogíamos al viajero con los brazos abiertos. — Before, we used to welcome the traveller with open arms.
- Mañana, tú acogerás a los invitados en su casa. — Tomorrow, you will welcome the guests in my house.
- Yo acogería a los refugiados en la ciudad si tuviera más tiempo. — I would welcome the refugees in the city if I had more time.
- Él ha acogido al estudiante nuevo en clase. — He has welcomed the new student in class.
- Espero que él acoja al viajero con los brazos abiertos. — I hope he welcomes the traveller with open arms.
- Yo ya había acogido a los invitados en su casa antes de salir. — I had already welcomed the guests in my house before leaving.
- Ellos acogían a los refugiados en la ciudad cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to welcome the refugees in the city when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo acoge a los invitados en su casa. — Right: Yo acojo a los invitados en su casa. — The person matters: acoge is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acojo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Espero que yo acoge a los refugiados en la ciudad. — Right: Espero que yo acoja a los refugiados en la ciudad. — Spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja, never acoge.
- Wrong: Treating acoger and recibir as identical in every context. — Right: Acoger means to welcome, to host, while recibir means to receive. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acoger fits sentences such as Acojo a los invitados en su casa, while recibir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy acogido a los refugiados en la ciudad. — Right: Yo he acogido a los refugiados en la ciudad. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acogido, has acogido, ha acogido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo acogí al estudiante nuevo en clase todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo acogía al estudiante nuevo en clase todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acogía), not the preterite. The preterite (acogí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on acoger. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los invitados en su casa. (present tense) A. acojo B. acoges C. acoge D. acogemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a los refugiados en la ciudad. (preterite) A. acogí B. acogiste C. acogieron D. acogió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al estudiante nuevo en clase. (imperfect) A. acogías B. acogían C. acogíamos D. acogía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ al viajero con los brazos abiertos. (future) A. acogeremos B. acogerás C. acogeré D. acogerá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los invitados en su casa si pudiera. (conditional) A. acogería B. acogerías C. acogerían D. acojo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los refugiados en la ciudad. (present subjunctive) A. acojas B. acojamos C. acojo D. acoja
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al estudiante nuevo en clase, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. acogiéramos B. acojo C. acogiera D. acogieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ al viajero con los brazos abiertos. (present perfect) A. han acogido B. hemos acogido C. he acogido D. has acogido
Complete the command: ¡___ a los invitados en su casa! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acoge B. acoja C. acojamos D. acoged
Which is the gerund of acoger, used with estar for the progressive? A. acogido B. acojo C. acogí D. acogiendo
Answer key
- acojo — The first-person present of acoger is acojo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- acogió — The third-person preterite of acoger is acogió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- acogíamos — The nosotros imperfect of acoger is acogíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- acogerás — The second-person future of acoger is acogerás.
- acogería — The first-person conditional of acoger is acogería, the form for what would happen.
- acoja — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acoger is acoja.
- acogiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acoger is acogiera.
- hemos acogido — The nosotros present perfect of acoger is hemos acogido: hemos + acogido.
- acoge — The affirmative tú imperative of acoger is acoge.
- acogiendo — The gerund of acoger is acogiendo: estoy acogiendo. The participle acogido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does acoger mean in English?
Acoger means to welcome, to host. It is used in everyday situations such as Acojo a los invitados en su casa. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is acoger regular or irregular?
Acoger is a spelling-change verb, so it is not fully regular. Spelling change: g becomes j before e, so the present subjunctive is acoja and the preterite first person is acogí — the sound stays the same, only the spelling changes. The other tenses follow the regular -er endings. Learn the changed forms from the tables above rather than applying the regular spelling.
What is the difference between acoger and recibir?
Acoger means to welcome, to host, while recibir means to receive. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acoger when you mean to welcome, to host, as in Acojo a los invitados en su casa, and use recibir for to receive. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I welcome” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo acogí a los refugiados en la ciudad. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo acogía al estudiante nuevo en clase. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acogido a los refugiados en la ciudad.
How do I practise acoger?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acoger examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Acoger in the present tense — the full present-tense table for acoger.
- Acoger examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for acoger.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Acometer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acoger.
- Absorber conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acoger.
- Ceder conjugation — another -er verb to compare with acoger.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.