Reconocer Imperfect Tense in Castilian Spanish

The Imperfect Tense of reconocer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Reconocía a mi vecino cuando lo veía en el parque. (I used to recognize my neighbor when I saw him in the park.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Reconocer (to recognize) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Pronoun Conjugation
Yoreconocía
reconocías
Él / Ella / Ustedreconocía
Nosotros / Nosotrasreconocíamos
Vosotros / Vosotrasreconocíais
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedesreconocían

Boost Your Memorization with Audio!

We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Reconocer (to recognize) in the Imperfect Tense to help you learn faster.

Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.

Usage of Reconocer in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of reconocer is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To recognize or identify: Por ejemplo, cuando era niño, reconocía a mi abuelo por su sombrero. (When I was a child, I recognized my grandfather by his hat.)

To acknowledge or admit: Por ejemplo, reconocía que había cometido un error. (I acknowledged that I had made a mistake.)

To express gratitude or appreciation: Por ejemplo, siempre reconocía el esfuerzo de sus empleados. (He always recognized the effort of his employees.)

To inspect or examine: Por ejemplo, el médico reconocía a los pacientes antes de la consulta. (The doctor examined the patients before the consultation.)

To explore or survey (colloquial): Por ejemplo, reconocíamos la zona antes de montar el campamento. (We surveyed the area before setting up camp.)

Examples

Examples of Reconocer in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, reconocía a mi abuelo por su caminar lento y su bastón. (When I was a child, I recognized my grandfather by his slow gait and his cane.)

En la fiesta, reconocíamos a algunos familiares por sus voces. (At the party, we recognized some relatives by their voices.)

Ella reconocía las canciones de su juventud en cuanto escuchaba las primeras notas. (She recognized the songs from her youth as soon as she heard the first notes.)

Ustedes reconocían el sabor de la comida casera de la abuela. (You recognized the taste of grandma’s home cooking.)

Yo reconocía el olor a pan recién horneado en la panadería. (I recognized the smell of freshly baked bread in the bakery.)

Nosotros reconocíamos los lugares que habíamos visitado en nuestro último viaje. (We recognized the places we had visited on our last trip.)

reconocías la voz de tu mejor amigo incluso en una multitud ruidosa. (You recognized your best friend’s voice even in a noisy crowd.)

Ellos reconocían los síntomas de la gripe y sabían cuándo buscar atención médica. (They recognized the symptoms of the flu and knew when to seek medical attention.)

Vosotros reconocíais el talento de vuestro compañero de trabajo. (You recognized the talent of your coworker.)

Ella reconocía la importancia de mantener un equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal. (She recognized the importance of maintaining a work-life balance.)

Nosotros reconocíamos los esfuerzos de nuestros padres por darnos una buena educación. (We recognized our parents’ efforts to give us a good education.)

reconocías la necesidad de ahorrar para el futuro. (You recognized the need to save for the future.)

Ellos reconocían las señales de advertencia de un desastre natural inminente. (They recognized the warning signs of an impending natural disaster.)

Vosotros reconocíais la importancia de mantenerse activos y saludables. (You recognized the importance of staying active and healthy.)

Yo reconocía la necesidad de aprender un nuevo idioma para progresar en mi carrera. (I recognized the need to learn a new language to advance in my career.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

Spanish English
Yo reconocía I was recognizing
Tú reconocías You were recognizing
Él / Ella / Usted reconocía He / She / You (formal) was recognizing
Nosotros / Nosotras reconocíamos We were recognizing
Vosotros / Vosotras reconocíais You all were recognizing
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes reconocían They / You all (formal) were recognizing

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.