Reciben

Reciben is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb recibir. It corresponds to they receive or you all receive in standard usage, with ustedes receiving in Latin American Spanish and vosotros receiving in certain dialects of Spain. As a present-tense form, it is used to describe actions occurring in the current or general present.

Recibir, the infinitive from which reciben is derived, means to obtain, to accept, to receive, or to welcome. The verb is transitive and commonly requires a direct object, such as a thing being received (reciben cartas) or people being welcomed (reciben a sus invitados). It can also indicate the reception of benefits, signals, or notices (reciben ayuda, reciben instrucciones).

Conjugation and usage notes: recibir is a regular -ir verb in many present-tense forms, yielding yo recibo, tú recibes, él recibe, nosotros recibimos, vosotros recibís, ellos/ellas/ustedes reciben. Reciben specifically handles the third-person plural subjects. The form is also used in various compound tenses and in passive-like constructions, and it frequently appears in formal contexts where “ustedes reciben” stands in for “you all receive.”

Etymology: recibir comes from Latin recipere, formed from re- (back) + capere (to take), originally conveying the sense of taking back or obtaining something.

See also: recibir, conjugation of recibir, receptión (related noun form), receptivo/receptiva (related adjectives).

In summary, reciben is a common present-tense form signaling that a group or plural subject receives something, whether it be objects, people, information, or benefits, and it functions as a standard component of the verb recibir in everyday Spanish.