Recibir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

recibir — to receive — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Recibir means to receive and to get: recibir una carta, recibir un premio, recibir a un invitado (to welcome a guest). It is completely regular. It is formal compared to the everyday conseguir or coger, and it appears in letters, news and official language. On this page you will find recibir in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with recibir

In the present tense

  • “Yo recibo muchos correos cada día.” — “I receive many emails every day.”
  • “Ella recibe un regalo de su abuela.” — “She receives a present from her grandmother.”
  • “Nosotros recibimos a los invitados en la puerta.” — “We welcome the guests at the door.”
  • “Ellos reciben buenas noticias a menudo.” — “They often receive good news.”
  • “¿Tú recibes el periódico en casa?” — “Do you get the newspaper at home?”
  • “Vosotros recibís visitas los domingos.” — “You receive visitors on Sundays.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo recibí una carta de mi amigo.” — “Yesterday I received a letter from my friend.”
  • “Ella recibió el premio en Madrid.” — “She received the award in Madrid.”
  • “Nosotros recibimos la confirmación por correo.” — “We received the confirmation by email.”
  • “Ellos recibieron una invitación a la boda.” — “They received an invitation to the wedding.”
  • “¿Tú recibiste mi mensaje anoche?” — “Did you receive my message last night?”
  • “El equipo recibió el trofeo del campeón.” — “The team received the champion’s trophy.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo recibía muchos correos cada día.” — “As a child, I used to receive many emails every day.”
  • “Mañana, yo recibiré muchos correos cada día.” — “Tomorrow, I will receive many emails every day.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo recibiría muchos correos cada día.” — “If I could, I would receive many emails every day.”
  • “Yo he recibido muchos correos cada día.” — “I have received many emails every day.”

Recibir in context

Cada día, yo recibo muchos correos cada día. Mi amigo también recibe muchos correos cada día cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo recibo muchos correos de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de recibir es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo recibí muchos correos cada día. Mi amigo recibió muchos correos cada día también, y por la noche yo recibí muchos correos otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de recibir aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with recibir

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo recibo — learners write recievo.

Right: Yo recibo muchos correos.

The yo form is recibo: the i stays, it is not recievo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Recibir a una carta — wrong personal a.

Right: Yo recibo una carta.

The personal a is for people: recibo a los invitados, but recibo una carta.

Quiz: recibir in everyday use

Ten questions on recibir across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of recibir in the present tense?

  • A) recibo
  • B) recibes
  • C) recibe
  • D) recibimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is recibo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of recibir in the present tense?

  • A) recibo
  • B) recibes
  • C) recibimos
  • D) recibe

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is recibe.

3. What is the yo form of recibir in the preterite?

  • A) recibió
  • B) recibimos
  • C) recibí
  • D) recibiste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is recibí.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of recibir in the preterite?

  • A) recibió
  • B) recibieron
  • C) recibí
  • D) recibiste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is recibieron.

5. What is the yo form of recibir in the imperfect?

  • A) recibía
  • B) recibías
  • C) recibía
  • D) recibíamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is recibía.

6. What is the tú form of recibir in the future?

  • A) recibiré
  • B) recibirá
  • C) recibiremos
  • D) recibirás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is recibirás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of recibir in the conditional?

  • A) recibirías
  • B) recibiríamos
  • C) recibiría
  • D) recibiría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is recibiría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of recibir in the present perfect?

  • A) ha recibido
  • B) hemos recibido
  • C) he recibido
  • D) has recibido

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos recibido.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ muchos correos cada día.” (I receive many emails every day.)

  • A) recibo
  • B) recibes
  • C) recibe
  • D) recibimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs recibo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo recibo muchos correos.
  • B) Yo recibo — learners write recievo.

Answer: A — The yo form is recibo: the i stays, it is not recievo.

Frequently asked questions

What does recibir mean?

recibir means “to receive” in English. Recibir means to receive and to get: recibir una carta, recibir un premio, recibir a un invitado (to welcome a guest). It is completely regular. It is formal compared to the everyday conseguir or coger, and it appears in letters, news and official language.

Is recibir regular?

Yes. recibir is a regular -ir verb, so its forms follow the standard endings in every tense. That makes it a good verb to learn early — once you know the endings, you know the verb.

When do I use recibir in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — recibí, recibiste, recibió — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — recibía, recibías, recibía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to recibir as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise recibir?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Recibir Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for recibir to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo recibo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo recibí…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo recibiré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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