I Receive in Spanish | Say It Right Every Time

In Spanish, “I receive” is most often “(yo) recibo,” using the verb “recibir,” with the tense changing the exact form.

You’ve got a simple English phrase and a tricky Spanish reality: the right translation depends on what you’re receiving, when it happens, and how direct you want to sound. Spanish uses one main verb for “receive,” plus a handful of natural alternatives in everyday speech.

This article gives you clean, ready-to-use options, then shows you how to pick the one that fits your sentence. You’ll walk away knowing what to say for packages, emails, money, invitations, and more—without sounding stiff.

What “I receive” means in Spanish

Most of the time, Spanish uses the verb recibir for “to receive.” In the present tense, “I receive” becomes (yo) recibo. Spanish often drops the subject pronoun, so recibo is normal on its own.

English “receive” covers a few ideas: getting something sent to you, accepting something offered, or being on the receiving end of something. Spanish can keep recibir for all of these, yet daily speech also uses other verbs when the tone changes.

Most common translation

Recibo is the workhorse. Use it when you want a plain, direct statement: you receive a thing, a message, a payment, an award, an invitation, a call.

When Spanish drops “yo”

Spanish verb endings already show the subject. So “I receive emails” is usually Recibo correos, not Yo recibo correos. Add yo when you’re contrasting people or stressing who receives it: Yo recibo el paquete, no tú.

I Receive in Spanish with real-life context

Same English phrase, different Spanish choices. Below are the spots where learners slip up, plus the phrasing that sounds natural.

Packages, letters, deliveries

If something arrives from a sender, recibo works well: Recibo el paquete mañana (“I receive the package tomorrow”). In casual speech, Spanish often uses arrival verbs: Me llega el paquete mañana (“The package gets to me tomorrow”).

Emails, texts, notifications

For digital messages, recibo is still standard: Recibo tu correo. In many settings, people also say me llegó tu mensaje to mean “your message came through.” It’s the kind of line you’ll hear at work and in chats.

Money, payments, salary

When you receive money, recibo is fine: Recibo el pago hoy. Another common option is cobro when the idea is “collect/receive pay”: Cobro los viernes (“I get paid on Fridays”).

Invitations, awards, honors

For invitations and awards, recibo sounds formal and correct: Recibo una invitación, Recibo un premio. If you mean “accept,” Spanish may choose acepto: Acepto la invitación.

Good news, bad news, and “I’m getting…”

English often says “I’m getting calls,” “I’m getting complaints,” “I’m getting a lot of spam.” Spanish can use estoy recibiendo for an ongoing stream: Estoy recibiendo muchas llamadas. In casual talk, you’ll also hear me están llegando (“they’re coming to me”).

Sports and the “receive” meaning

In sports, “receive” can mean “take a pass” or “receive the ball.” Spanish varies by sport and region, so you may see recibir el balón, recibir un pase, or sport-specific verbs used by commentators.

Want a solid, standard base? The dictionary sense and usage notes for recibir line up with this core meaning. You can check the formal definition at RAE’s entry for “recibir”.

How to pick the right verb without overthinking

Here’s a simple way to choose wording that fits: decide what’s happening (arrival, acceptance, payment, ongoing flow), then match the Spanish pattern.

Use “recibo” when you want neutral and direct

If your sentence can be rephrased as “I receive X from Y,” then recibo is usually right. It’s a safe default for writing, work messages, school, and travel situations.

Use “me llega” when the focus is the arrival

Me llega feels like “it arrives to me.” It’s common with parcels, messages, and news. It also helps when the sender matters less than the fact that it showed up.

Use “cobro” for pay and money you collect

Cobro is natural for salaries, fees, and payments you receive as income. In many places, it’s the first choice for “I get paid.”

Use “acepto” when “receive” really means “accept”

When the English speaker means “I receive your apology” as “I accept it,” Spanish often goes with acepto. Same with invitations: you can recibir an invitation, then aceptar it.

If you want to see how “receive” maps to Spanish across senses, compare a couple of dictionary entries side by side: Cambridge Dictionary’s “receive” translation and Collins’ English-Spanish entry for “receive”.

Common sentence patterns you can reuse

Spanish gets easier when you reuse strong patterns. These cover most everyday lines.

Pattern 1: Recibo + noun

• Recibo un paquete.
• Recibo tu mensaje.
• Recibo pagos por transferencia.

Pattern 2: Recibo + noun + de + person/source

• Recibo noticias de mi familia.
• Recibo correos de clientes.
• Recibo ayuda de mis amigos.

Pattern 3: Me llega + noun

• Me llega el paquete hoy.
• Me llega tu correo.
• Me llega una notificación rara.

Pattern 4: Estoy recibiendo + plural noun

• Estoy recibiendo muchas llamadas.
• Estoy recibiendo mensajes de spam.
• Estoy recibiendo quejas.

These patterns are straightforward, yet the tense can flip the meaning. Next, you’ll get a quick map of intent to wording.

Phrase options for “I receive” in Spanish

Pick your goal in English, then grab the Spanish line that matches. This table is meant to save time and cut guesswork.

What You Mean In English	Natural Spanish Option	When It Fits Best
I receive a package	Recibo el paquete / Me llega el paquete	Direct statement vs arrival emphasis
I receive your email	Recibo tu correo / Me llegó tu mensaje	Formal note vs casual confirmation
I receive payments	Recibo pagos	Business, invoices, contracts
I get paid on Fridays	Cobro los viernes	Salary or regular pay days
I receive an invitation	Recibo una invitación	Neutral, factual wording
I accept the invitation	Acepto la invitación	When “receive” implies acceptance
I’m receiving lots of calls	Estoy recibiendo muchas llamadas	Ongoing flow right now
I received the document	Recibí el documento	Completed action
I haven’t received anything	No he recibido nada	Still pending, up to now

Tense matters more than you think

English often uses “I receive” as a present habit or a near-future plan. Spanish forces you to pick the time. Once you do, the sentence becomes clearer.

Present: Recibo

Use it for habits and general truths: Recibo correos todos los días. It can also cover near-future plans when the timing is clear: Recibo el paquete mañana.

Preterite: Recibí

Use it for a finished action: Recibí tu mensaje. If you’re confirming delivery in a work thread, this tense is a go-to.

Imperfect: Recibía

Use it for ongoing past situations: Recibía llamadas a toda hora. It paints a background, not a single finished moment.

Present perfect: He recibido

Use it for “up to now” meaning: He recibido el pago (“I’ve received the payment”). It often pairs with todavía or aún when something hasn’t arrived: Todavía no he recibido nada.

Future: Recibiré

Use it for a clear future claim: Recibiré el paquete el lunes. In casual talk, many speakers still use present with a time word.

Conditional: Recibiría

Use it for “would receive”: Recibiría el reembolso si completo el formulario. It’s common in policies and polite scenarios.

Conjugation cheat sheet for quick writing

If you write emails, invoices, or customer replies, you’ll reuse a small set of forms. Keep these close.

Time You Mean	Form Of “Recibir”	Sample Line
Now / habit	Recibo	Recibo tu correo y respondo hoy.
Right now, ongoing	Estoy recibiendo	Estoy recibiendo muchas llamadas esta tarde.
Finished action	Recibí	Recibí el documento a las 10.
Past background	Recibía	Recibía mensajes tarde en la noche.
Up to now	He recibido	He recibido el pago, gracias.
Not yet	No he recibido	Todavía no he recibido nada.
Future	Recibiré	Recibiré el paquete el lunes.
Would receive	Recibiría	Recibiría el reembolso con el recibo.

Small details that change the meaning

Spanish has a few tiny switches that change what your listener hears. Get these right and you’ll sound natural fast.

“Recibo” vs “El recibo”

Recibo can be a verb (“I receive”). El recibo is a noun and often means “bill” or “receipt,” depending on the country. Context does the work:

• Recibo el paquete. (verb)
• Pagué el recibo de la luz. (bill)
• Guarda el recibo. (receipt)

Prepositions: “de” and “por”

De marks who it comes from: Recibo un correo de Ana. Por often marks the reason or exchange: Recibo dinero por mi trabajo. This pairing shows up in invoices and work chats.

Direct object pronouns when the thing is already known

If everyone knows what “it” is, Spanish can use lo or la: Ya lo recibí (“I already received it”). This saves repetition and keeps the sentence smooth.

Ready-made lines for work and travel

These are short, clean lines you can drop into a message. Swap the noun and you’re set.

Confirming receipt

• Recibí tu correo. Gracias.
• Ya recibí el documento.
• He recibido el pago.

Saying you haven’t received something

• Todavía no he recibido el paquete.
• No he recibido respuesta.
• No me llega el código de verificación.

Asking someone to confirm

• ¿Recibiste mi mensaje?
• ¿Te llegó el correo?
• ¿Ya lo recibiste?

A quick self-check before you hit send

Before you send a Spanish message with “receive,” run this quick check. It takes ten seconds.

1. Is it happening now, done, or still pending?
2. Is the point that it arrived, or that you accepted it?
3. Is it pay, a package, or a message?
4. Do you need yo for contrast, or can the verb carry it?

Answer those and you’ll land on recibo, me llega, cobro, or acepto fast. From there, the tense does the rest.