Recoger Examples, Sentences and Quiz in Spanish
Introduction
recoger means "to pick up, to collect" in English, and it is a verb you will use constantly once you start speaking Spanish for real. This page shows recoger in everyday sentences, grouped by meaning, then puts it into two short conversations, lists the mistakes learners actually make, and finishes with a ten-question quiz and answers to the most common questions. Every sentence below uses a real form of recoger, so you can copy the patterns and change the person, the tense and the complement to make your own versions. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then try the quiz without looking back.
Example sentences with recoger
Picking up people
Recoger a alguien means to pick a person up: recojo a los niños del colegio. The personal a is required, and de or en introduces the place.
- Cada día, yo recojo a los niños del colegio. — "Every day, I pick up the children from school."
- Hoy, él / ella recoge las flores del jardín. — "Today, he / she picks up the flowers from the garden."
- Ayer, yo recogí el paquete en correos. — "Yesterday, I picked up the parcel from the post office."
- Antes, yo recogía la basura de la calle. — "Before, I used to pick up the rubbish from the street."
- Mañana, yo recogeré a los niños del colegio. — "Tomorrow, I will pick up the children from school."
- Hoy, yo he recogido las flores del jardín. — "Today, I have picked up the flowers from the garden."
Collecting things
Recoger algo means to collect a thing: recojo las flores, recojo el paquete. It is the standard verb for gathering, fetching and collecting.
- Cada día, yo recojo el paquete en correos. — "Every day, I pick up the parcel from the post office."
- Hoy, él / ella recoge la basura de la calle. — "Today, he / she picks up the rubbish from the street."
- Ayer, yo recogí a los niños del colegio. — "Yesterday, I picked up the children from school."
- Antes, yo recogía las flores del jardín. — "Before, I used to pick up the flowers from the garden."
- Mañana, yo recogeré el paquete en correos. — "Tomorrow, I will pick up the parcel from the post office."
- Hoy, yo he recogido la basura de la calle. — "Today, I have picked up the rubbish from the street."
Recoger in conversation
The two dialogues below show recoger in natural conversation. The first is about picking up people, and the second is about collecting things. Read both parts aloud, then try to continue each dialogue with a sentence of your own.
Dialogue 1
- ¿Tú recoges a los niños del colegio? — "Do you pick up the children from school?"
- Sí, yo recojo a los niños del colegio cada día. — "Yes, I pick up the children from school every day."
- ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú recogiste las flores del jardín? — "And yesterday? Did you pick up the flowers from the garden?"
- Sí, ayer yo recogí las flores del jardín. — "Yes, yesterday I picked up the flowers from the garden."
- Mañana yo recogeré el paquete en correos también. — "Tomorrow I will pick up the parcel from the post office too."
Dialogue 2
- ¿Vosotros recogéis el paquete en correos? — "Do you pick up the parcel from the post office?"
- Sí, nosotros recogemos el paquete en correos los fines de semana. — "Yes, we pick up the parcel from the post office at the weekends."
- ¿Y ellos? ¿Ellos recogen la basura de la calle? — "And them? Do they pick up the rubbish from the street?"
- Sí, ellos recogen la basura de la calle también. — "Yes, they pick up the rubbish from the street too."
- Mañana nosotros recogeremos el paquete en correos otra vez. — "Tomorrow we will pick up the parcel from the post office again."
Common mistakes with recoger in everyday use
Mistake 1
- Wrong: Yo recogo a los niños.
- Right: Yo recojo a los niños.
- Why: The yo form is recojo, not recogo. The g changes to j before o, to keep the soft sound: recojo, recoges, recoge.
Mistake 2
- Wrong: Yo recojo los niños.
- Right: Yo recojo a los niños.
- Why: When the object is a person, recoger needs the personal a: recojo a los niños, recojo a mi madre.
Mistake 3
- Wrong: Recoger es lo mismo que coger.
- Right: Recoger means to pick up or collect; coger means to take or grab.
- Why: Coger is more general and more physical: you coger a book from a table. Recoger implies gathering or fetching, often from a place or a person.
Mistake 4
- Wrong: Cada día, yo recogí a los niños del colegio.
- Right: Cada día, yo recojo a los niños del colegio.
- Why: Cada día means every day, so the action is a habit and needs the present tense. The preterite is for one finished action, not for routines.
Mistake 5
- Wrong: Yo recojo a los niños del colegio ayer por la mañana.
- Right: Ayer por la mañana yo recogí a los niños del colegio.
- Why: Ayer por la mañana means yesterday morning, so the action is finished and needs the preterite, not the present.
Quiz: recoger in use
Ten questions on recoger across the tenses. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the i form of recoger in the present tense?
- (a) recoge
- (b) recogemos
- (c) recojo
- (d) recoges
Answer: (c) recojo. The i form in the present is recojo.
2. What is the he / she form of recoger in the present tense?
- (a) recogemos
- (b) recoge
- (c) recojo
- (d) recoges
Answer: (b) recoge. The he / she form in the present is recoge.
3. What is the he / she form of recoger in the preterite tense?
- (a) recogió
- (b) recogí
- (c) recogiste
- (d) recogimos
Answer: (a) recogió. The he / she form in the preterite is recogió.
4. What is the i form of recoger in the imperfect tense?
- (a) recojo
- (b) recogí
- (c) recogeré
- (d) recogía
Answer: (d) recogía. The i form in the imperfect is recogía. The other options are the same person in the present, preterite and future.
5. What is the i form of recoger in the future tense?
- (a) recogerá
- (b) recogeremos
- (c) recogeré
- (d) recogerás
Answer: (c) recogeré. The i form in the future is recogeré.
6. Which is the correct present perfect form for i?
- (a) recogí
- (b) recogía
- (c) recojo
- (d) he recogido
Answer: (d) he recogido. The present perfect is haber + the past participle: he recogido.
7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a los niños del colegio.
- (a) recogía
- (b) recoja
- (c) recoge
- (d) recogió
Answer: (b) recoja. After espero que, Spanish needs the present subjunctive: recoja. The indicative form would be wrong here.
8. What is the we form of recoger in the present tense?
- (a) recojo
- (b) recoges
- (c) recoge
- (d) recogemos
Answer: (d) recogemos. The we form in the present is recogemos.
9. What is the i form of recoger in the preterite tense?
- (a) recogió
- (b) recogimos
- (c) recogí
- (d) recogiste
Answer: (c) recogí. The i form in the preterite is recogí.
10. What is the they form of recoger in the present tense?
- (a) recoge
- (b) recogen
- (c) recojo
- (d) recoges
Answer: (b) recogen. The they form in the present is recogen.
Frequently asked questions about recoger
Why is it recojo and not recogo?
Because -ger verbs change g to j before o: recojo, protejo, dirijo. It keeps the soft sound of the g, and it is a spelling change.
Does recoger take the personal a?
Yes, before a person: recojo a los niños. Before a thing there is no a: recojo las flores, recojo el paquete.
What is the gerund of recoger?
Recogiendo. The progressive is estar + gerund: estoy recogiendo las flores. The past participle is recogido: he recogido el paquete.
How can I practise recoger?
Start with the examples above: say each sentence aloud, then change the person and the complement. Then take the quiz, and finish with the Verb Quiz and the Conjugation Practice tools, which test the same forms in a different order. A few minutes a day with one verb is worth more than an hour once a week.