Recibir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Recibir in Spanish

Recibir means “to receive,” “to welcome,” or “to accept.” You will learn its fully regular -IR conjugation and the main patterns for receiving objects, messages, people, signals, and results.

Recibir conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular IR. Recibir keeps the stable stem recib- and takes ordinary -IR endings. Its gerund recibiendo — “receiving” — and participle recibido — “received” — are regular.

Recibir gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle recibido remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	recibir	to receive
Gerund	recibiendo	receiving
Past participle	recibido	received

Recibir meaning and essential uses

Recibir is transitive and most commonly means taking or accepting something that another person sends or gives: Recibo un paquete. — “I receive a package.”

RAE also records welcoming or admitting people, receiving visits, capturing signals, and undergoing something: Recibieron a los invitados. — “They welcomed the guests.” La antena recibe la señal. — “The antenna receives the signal.”

Recibir regular conjugation pattern

The stem recib- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as recibo — “I receive,” recibí — “I received,” and reciba — “that I receive” — use ordinary -IR endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Recibir indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Recibir present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibo	I receive
Tú — you, singular informal	recibes	you receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibe	he / she receives; you receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibimos	we receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibís	you receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reciben	they receive; you receive (plural)

• Recibo muchos correos cada día. — I receive many emails every day.

Recibir preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibí	I received
Tú — you, singular informal	recibiste	you received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibió	he / she received; you received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibimos	we received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibisteis	you received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibieron	they received; you received (plural)

• Ayer recibí un paquete. — Yesterday I received a package.

Recibir imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibía	I used to receive / was receiving
Tú — you, singular informal	recibías	you used to receive / were receiving
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibía	he / she used to receive / was receiving; you used to receive / were receiving (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibíamos	we used to receive / were receiving
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibíais	you used to receive / were receiving (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibían	they used to receive / were receiving; you used to receive / were receiving (plural)

• Antes recibía cartas con frecuencia. — I used to receive letters frequently.

Recibir present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus recibiendo — “receiving.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy recibiendo	I am receiving
Tú — you, singular informal	estás recibiendo	you are receiving
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está recibiendo	he / she is receiving; you are receiving (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos recibiendo	we are receiving
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis recibiendo	you are receiving (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están recibiendo	they are receiving; you are receiving (plural)

• Estoy recibiendo nuevas solicitudes. — I am receiving new applications.

Recibir near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and recibir.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a recibir	I am going to receive
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a recibir	you are going to receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a recibir	he / she is going to receive; you are going to receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a recibir	we are going to receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a recibir	you are going to receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a recibir	they are going to receive; you are going to receive (plural)

• Voy a recibir una respuesta mañana. — I am going to receive an answer tomorrow.

Recibir future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibiré	I will receive
Tú — you, singular informal	recibirás	you will receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibirá	he / she will receive; you will receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibiremos	we will receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibiréis	you will receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibirán	they will receive; you will receive (plural)

• Recibiremos los documentos la próxima semana. — We will receive the documents next week.

Recibir conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibiría	I would receive
Tú — you, singular informal	recibirías	you would receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibiría	he / she would receive; you would receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibiríamos	we would receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibiríais	you would receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibirían	they would receive; you would receive (plural)

• Recibiría la oferta con interés. — I would receive the offer with interest.

Recibir present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he recibido	I have received
Tú — you, singular informal	has recibido	you have received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha recibido	he / she has received; you have received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos recibido	we have received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis recibido	you have received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han recibido	they have received; you have received (plural)

• He recibido tu mensaje. — I have received your message.

Recibir past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había recibido	I had received
Tú — you, singular informal	habías recibido	you had received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había recibido	he / she had received; you had received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos recibido	we had received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais recibido	you had received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían recibido	they had received; you had received (plural)

• Ya habíamos recibido la confirmación. — We had already received the confirmation.

Recibir future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré recibido	I will have received
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás recibido	you will have received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá recibido	he / she will have received; you will have received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos recibido	we will have received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis recibido	you will have received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán recibido	they will have received; you will have received (plural)

• Para entonces habrán recibido todos los paquetes. — By then they will have received all the packages.

Recibir conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría recibido	I would have received
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías recibido	you would have received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría recibido	he / she would have received; you would have received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos recibido	we would have received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais recibido	you would have received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían recibido	they would have received; you would have received (plural)

• Habría recibido la carta antes con otra dirección. — I would have received the letter earlier with another address.

Recibir subjunctive conjugations

Recibir present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	reciba	that I receive
Tú — you, singular informal	recibas	that you receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	reciba	that he / she receive; that you receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibamos	that we receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibáis	that you receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	reciban	that they receive; that you receive (plural)

• Espero que recibas una respuesta pronto. — I hope you receive an answer soon.

Recibir imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibiera	that I received
Tú — you, singular informal	recibieras	that you received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibiera	that he / she received; that you received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibiéramos	that we received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibierais	that you received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibieran	that they received; that you received (plural)

• Preferían que recibiéramos a los invitados juntos. — They preferred that we welcome the guests together.
• Era mejor que recibieses primero los documentos. — It was better for you to receive the documents first.

Recibir future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	recibiere	if / when I should receive
Tú — you, singular informal	recibieres	if / when you should receive
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	recibiere	if / when he / she should receive; if / when you should receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	recibiéremos	if / when we should receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibiereis	if / when you should receive (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	recibieren	if / when they should receive; if / when you should receive (plural)

• Quien recibiere la notificación deberá confirmarla. — Whoever should receive the notification must confirm it.

Recibir present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya recibido	that I have received
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas recibido	that you have received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya recibido	that he / she has received; that you have received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos recibido	that we have received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis recibido	that you have received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan recibido	that they have received; that you have received (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas recibido el paquete. — I am glad that you received the package.

Recibir past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera recibido	that I had received
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras recibido	that you had received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera recibido	that he / she had received; that you had received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos recibido	that we had received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais recibido	that you had received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran recibido	that they had received; that you had received (plural)

• Si hubiera recibido el mensaje antes, habría respondido. — If I had received the message earlier, I would have replied.
• Si hubieses recibido la invitación, habrías venido. — If you had received the invitation, you would have come.

Recibir future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle recibido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere recibido	if / when I should have received
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres recibido	if / when you should have received
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere recibido	if / when he / she should have received; if / when you should have received (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos recibido	if / when we should have received
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis recibido	if / when you should have received (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren recibido	if / when they should have received; if / when you should have received (plural)

• Si hubieren recibido los documentos, deberán archivarlos. — If they should have received the documents, they must file them.

Recibir imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Recibir affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	recibe	receive
Usted — you, singular formal	reciba	receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	recibamos	let’s receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	recibid	receive (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	reciban	receive (plural)

• Recibe a los invitados en la entrada. — Welcome the guests at the entrance.

Recibir negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no recibas	do not receive
Usted — you, singular formal	no reciba	do not receive (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no recibamos	let’s not receive
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no recibáis	do not receive (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no reciban	do not receive (plural)

• No recibas archivos de fuentes desconocidas. — Do not receive files from unknown sources.

Common constructions with Recibir

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• recibir algo. — to receive something.
• recibir a alguien. — to receive / welcome someone.
• recibir una señal, mensaje, or llamada. — to receive a signal, message, or call.

Example sentences with Recibir

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• ¿Recibiste mi mensaje? — Did you receive my message?
• Recibimos a los invitados a las ocho. — We welcome the guests at eight.
• La antena recibe la señal correctamente. — The antenna receives the signal correctly.
• Espero que recibas buenas noticias. — I hope you receive good news.
• Ya hemos recibido la confirmación. — We have already received the confirmation.
• Recibe cada comentario con calma. — Receive each comment calmly.

Regional and usage notes for Recibir

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos recibís muchos mensajes. — You receive many messages. (voseo)
• Recibí a los invitados en la puerta. — Welcome the guests at the door. (affirmative vos command)

Recibir is fully regular. Once the -IR endings are secure, focus on the direct object and context: what is received, who is welcomed, or what signal, message, result, or experience reaches the subject.