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reconocer

to recognize

verb rreh-koh-noh-SEHR Common

Also means

to acknowledge

Usage Note

Reconocer follows the irregular -zco pattern (reconozco). It means both to visually recognise someone (te reconocí enseguida) and to formally acknowledge a fact (hay que reconocer que tenía razón). In legal and diplomatic contexts it means 'to recognize' a state or authority. The noun reconocimiento covers all these senses.

Examples

"No la reconocí con el pelo corto."

Natural Translation

I didn't recognise her with short hair.

Literal Translation

Not her I-recognized with the hair short

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