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

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

Conjugations

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

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

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

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

To inspect or examine: Por ejemplo, el médico reconocía a los pacientes con cuidado. (For example, the doctor examined the patients carefully.)

To express gratitude (colloquial): Por ejemplo, reconocía que me habías ayudado mucho. (For example, I acknowledged that you had helped me a lot.)

Examples

Examples of Reconocer in the Imperfect Tense

Cuando era niño, reconocía a mis vecinos por sus voces. (When I was a child, I recognized my neighbors by their voices.)

Mi abuela reconocía las plantas medicinales por su olor. (My grandmother recognized medicinal plants by their smell.)

El detective reconocía las huellas dactilares de los sospechosos. (The detective recognized the fingerprints of the suspects.)

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.)

Aunque hacía años que no nos veíamos, reconocía a mi viejo amigo de inmediato. (Although it had been years since we last saw each other, I recognized my old friend immediately.)

El crítico de arte reconocía los estilos de los grandes maestros en las pinturas. (The art critic recognized the styles of the great masters in the paintings.)

La cocinera reconocía los ingredientes frescos por su aroma y apariencia. (The cook recognized fresh ingredients by their aroma and appearance.)

Aunque era un lugar nuevo, reconocía algunos edificios de las fotos que había visto. (Although it was a new place, I recognized some buildings from the photos I had seen.)

El experto en vinos reconocía las notas de cada variedad con solo olerla. (The wine expert recognized the notes of each variety just by smelling it.)

Yo reconocía la voz de mi madre al otro lado de la línea telefónica. (I recognized my mother’s voice on the other end of the phone line.)

El equipo reconocía las jugadas del oponente y ajustaba su estrategia en consecuencia. (The team recognized the opponent’s plays and adjusted their strategy accordingly.)

Aunque llevaba años sin verlo, reconocía su caminar de lejos. (Although I hadn’t seen him in years, I recognized his walk from afar.)

La policía reconocía los patrones de comportamiento de los delincuentes. (The police recognized the behavior patterns of criminals.)

El músico reconocía las melodías populares con solo escuchar los primeros compases. (The musician recognized popular melodies by just hearing the first few bars.)

Aunque estaba disfrazado, reconocía a mi hermano por su forma de moverse. (Although he was in disguise, I recognized my brother by the way he moved.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.