The Imperfect Tense of recibir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo recibía cartas de mi abuela cada semana. (I used to receive letters from my grandmother every week.)

Recibir is a regular -ir verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Recibir (to receive) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of recibir is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

Receiving something habitually or repeatedly: For example, Cuando era niño, recibía regalos de mis abuelos cada Navidad. (When I was a child, I used to receive gifts from my grandparents every Christmas.)

Describing an action in progress: For example, Recibía una llamada cuando sonó el timbre. (I was receiving a call when the doorbell rang.)

Expressing a state or condition in the past: For example, Recibía muchas visitas en mi antigua casa. (I used to get many visitors at my old house.)

Expressing an age: For example, Cuando recibía mi primer sueldo, tenía 18 años. (When I received my first paycheck, I was 18 years old.)

Colloquial usage (slang or idiomatic): For example, ¡Recibía una paliza cada vez que llegaba tarde a casa! (I used to get a beating every time I came home late!)

Examples

Examples of Recibir in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, recibía regalos de mis abuelos en cada cumpleaños. (When I was a child, I used to receive gifts from my grandparents on every birthday.)

Mis padres recibían muchas llamadas de la escuela porque yo era un estudiante travieso. (My parents used to receive many calls from the school because I was a mischievous student.)

Antes de tener un smartphone, recibíamos las noticias por la radio o la televisión. (Before having a smartphone, we used to receive the news by radio or television.)

En la oficina, recibía demasiados correos electrónicos y era difícil mantenerme al día. (At the office, I used to receive too many emails, and it was difficult to keep up.)

Cuando recibías una carta de amor, ¿la guardabas o la tiraba a la basura? (When you used to receive a love letter, did you keep it or throw it away?)

En la universidad, recibíamos clases de profesores muy exigentes. (In college, we used to receive classes from very demanding professors.)

Antes de mudarnos, recibíamos visitas de familiares y amigos con frecuencia. (Before moving, we used to receive visits from relatives and friends frequently.)

Cuando recibía mi paga, solía gastar demasiado en cosas innecesarias. (When I used to receive my paycheck, I would often spend too much on unnecessary things.)

En la época navideña, recibíamos muchas tarjetas de felicitación de nuestros seres queridos. (During the Christmas season, we used to receive many greeting cards from our loved ones.)

Vosotros recibíais buenas calificaciones en la escuela porque erais estudiantes dedicados. (You (plural) used to receive good grades in school because you were dedicated students.)

Ella recibía flores de su novio cada aniversario, pero ya no es así. (She used to receive flowers from her boyfriend every anniversary, but not anymore.)

Cuando recibíamos invitados en casa, preparábamos platos especiales para la ocasión. (When we used to receive guests at home, we would prepare special dishes for the occasion.)

Ustedes recibían muchas críticas por su forma de vestir, ¿verdad? (You (plural) used to receive a lot of criticism for your way of dressing, right?)

En la empresa, recibíamos capacitaciones constantes para mejorar nuestras habilidades. (At the company, we used to receive constant training to improve our skills.)

Yo recibía consejos de mis padres sobre cómo manejar mi dinero de manera responsable. (I used to receive advice from my parents on how to manage my money responsibly.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Recibir (to receive) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.