The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of recoger is used to give direct orders or instructions, for example: Recoge la basura. (Pick up the trash.)

This verb follows the -ger to -ja spelling-changing conjugation pattern, where the g changes to j before the vowel endings.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Recoger (to pick up) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Recoger generally means to pick up, collect, or gather, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To pick up or collect: This is the most common meaning. For example, ¡Recoge tus juguetes! (Pick up your toys!)

To gather or harvest: For example, ¡Recoge las manzanas del árbol! (Gather the apples from the tree!)

To take in or shelter: For example, ¡Recoge a ese perrito de la calle! (Take in that little dog from the street!)

To pick up or retrieve: For example, ¡Recoge tu pedido en la tienda! (Pick up your order at the store!)

To tidy up or clean: For example, ¡Recoge tu habitación! (Tidy up your room!)

Colloquial usage: In some regions, it can mean to leave or go away, often in a rude way. For example, ¡Recógete de aquí! (Get out of here!)

Examples

Examples of Recoger in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Recoge tus cosas antes de salir! (Pick up your things before leaving!)

Por favor, recojamos la basura del parque. (Please, let’s pick up the trash from the park.)

Mamá, recoge tus llaves de la mesa. (Mom, pick up your keys from the table.)

Antes de irnos de vacaciones, recojan todo el desorden. (Before we go on vacation, pick up all the mess.)

En la oficina, recoja los papeles que se cayeron. (At the office, pick up the papers that fell.)

Después de la fiesta, recoged los platos y vasos. (After the party, pick up the plates and cups.)

Oye, ¿puedes recoger mi chaqueta del suelo? (Hey, can you pick up my jacket from the floor?)

Para mantener limpio, recojamos la basura cada día. (To keep it clean, let’s pick up the trash every day.)

Antes de salir, recoge tus juguetes del patio. (Before leaving, pick up your toys from the yard.)

¡Recojan sus cosas! Ya es hora de irnos. (Pick up your things! It’s time to go.)

Después de la mudanza, recojamos las cajas vacías. (After the move, let’s pick up the empty boxes.)

Por favor, recoge la ropa sucia del piso. (Please, pick up the dirty clothes from the floor.)

Antes de irme, recoja los platos de la mesa. (Before I leave, pick up the plates from the table.)

¡Recoged las latas vacías después del picnic! (Pick up the empty cans after the picnic!)

Después de estudiar, recoge tus libros y cuadernos. (After studying, pick up your books and notebooks.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Recoger (to pick up) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.