Recuperó el pasaporte.

Recuperó is the third-person singular preterite of recuperar.

That means it can mean:

• he recovered / got back
• she recovered / got back
• you recovered / got back (formal usted)

The preterite is used for a completed action in the past.

The infinitive is recuperar.

So the basic pattern is:

• recuperar = to recover / to get back
• recuperó = recovered / got back

The accent shows that the stress falls on the last syllable: re-cu-pe-RÓ.

It is also important for meaning:

• recuperó = he/she/you formal recovered
• recupero = I recover / I get back in the present tense

So the accent is not optional here; it changes both pronunciation and grammar.

The subject is not stated explicitly, but the verb tells us it is third-person singular or usted.

So, depending on context, the sentence could mean:

• He got the passport back.
• She got the passport back.
• You got the passport back. (formal)

Spanish often leaves the subject unstated when it is clear from context.

Because Spanish is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns are often omitted.

The verb ending -ó already tells you the subject is third-person singular. So Spanish usually does not need:

• Él recuperó el pasaporte
• Ella recuperó el pasaporte
• Usted recuperó el pasaporte

Those are all possible, but they usually add emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English might use a possessive like his, her, or their, especially when the owner is obvious from context.

So recuperó el pasaporte can naturally mean he/she got the passport back, even if it is understood to be his/her passport.

You could say su pasaporte, but that would usually emphasize whose passport it was or clarify ownership.

Yes, pasaporte is a masculine noun, so it takes el in the singular:

• el pasaporte
• los pasaportes

Like many Spanish nouns, grammatical gender does not always match the ending in a predictable way, so pasaporte is simply one to learn as masculine.

Because recuperó presents the action as a finished event.

• Recuperó el pasaporte = he/she got the passport back as a completed action
• Recuperaba el pasaporte would usually sound incomplete by itself and would suggest something like a repeated action, an ongoing action, or background description

So in a simple sentence describing one completed past event, recuperó is the natural choice.

Yes. In Spain, ha recuperado el pasaporte is very common, especially for a recent past action that still feels connected to the present.

Very roughly:

• Recuperó el pasaporte = a completed past event
• Ha recuperado el pasaporte = has recovered / has got the passport back

In many parts of Spain, the present perfect is often used with time expressions like:

• hoy
• esta mañana
• esta semana

So both forms are possible, but they are not always used in exactly the same situations.

A helpful approximation is:

reh-koo-peh-ROH el pah-sah-POR-teh

A few points:

• The stress in recuperó is on the last syllable: -ró
• Spanish vowels are usually clear and pure, not reduced like in English
• The r in recuperó is a single tap, not a strong English r
• pasaporte is stressed on -por-

Grammatically yes, but in natural English this sentence is often better translated as got the passport back or recovered the passport.

With an object like passport, recuperar usually means:

• to get back
• to recover
• to regain

So it is not only used in the medical sense of recovering from illness. In this sentence, it means regaining possession of the passport.