Recibimos la orden ayer.

Because in this sentence recibimos is being used as the preterite form of recibir, so it means we received.

• recibir = to receive
• recibimos = we received

A very important detail: for many -er and -ir verbs, the nosotros form in the preterite and the present looks exactly the same.

So recibimos can mean either:

• we receive (present)
• we received (preterite)

In this sentence, ayer makes it clearly past, so the meaning is we received.

Yes. On its own, recibimos is ambiguous.

It can mean:

• we receive — present
• we received — preterite

Context tells you which one it is. Here, ayer means yesterday, so the sentence must be in the past:

• Recibimos la orden ayer = We received the order yesterday

If you saw Recibimos la orden todos los días, then it would mean:

• We receive the order every day

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• recibimos already shows we
• so nosotros is not necessary

That is why Recibimos la orden ayer is perfectly natural.

You could say:

• Nosotros recibimos la orden ayer

but that would usually add emphasis, contrast, or clarity, for example:

• Nosotros recibimos la orden ayer, no ellos
  We received the order yesterday, not them.

Because orden changes meaning depending on gender.

• la orden usually means the order, the command, or the instruction
• el orden usually means order in the sense of arrangement, sequence, or tidiness

So:

• Recibimos la orden ayer = We received the order / command yesterday
• El orden de los temas = The order of the topics

This is a very useful word pair to remember, because the article changes the meaning.

Not always. English order can mean different things, and Spanish often uses different words depending on context.

Common possibilities:

• la orden = an order, command, instruction
• el pedido = an order placed for goods, especially in shops or business
• la comanda = an order in a restaurant, especially in Spain
• el orden = order as arrangement or sequence

So if the meaning shown to the learner is something like command or official order, la orden makes sense. If you mean a customer order for products, el pedido is often more natural.

Because Spanish word order is flexible, and putting ayer at the end is completely natural.

• Recibimos la orden ayer
• Ayer recibimos la orden

Both are correct.

The difference is mainly one of focus or rhythm:

• Recibimos la orden ayer = neutral, with ayer added at the end
• Ayer recibimos la orden = puts more focus on yesterday

So the sentence could be rearranged without changing the basic meaning.

Because the sentence describes a completed action at a specific time.

• ayer gives a clear finished time reference
• receiving the order is seen as a single completed event

That is exactly the kind of situation where Spanish normally uses the preterite.

So:

• Recibimos la orden ayer = completed event yesterday

If you wanted the imperfect, the meaning would be different, something like an ongoing or habitual action in the past:

• Recibíamos órdenes todos los días = We used to receive orders every day

Yes. In this sentence, la orden is the direct object of recibimos.

You can think of it like this:

• recibimos = what did we receive?
• la orden = the thing received

So the structure is:

• Recibimos = verb
• la orden = direct object
• ayer = time expression

That is why there is no preposition before la orden.

Because the personal a is only used before a specific person or sometimes a personified being as a direct object.

Here, la orden is a thing, not a person, so no a is used.

Compare:

• Recibimos la orden ayer = correct
• Vimos a María ayer = correct, because María is a person

So in this sentence, leaving out a is exactly right.

In standard Spain pronunciation, recibimos is approximately:

• reh-thee-BEE-mos in much of Spain

More exactly:

• the c before i is pronounced like a soft th in much of Spain
• the stress is on bi: re-ci-BI-mos

So:

• recibimos → reh-thee-BEE-mos

In Latin America, many speakers would pronounce the c like an s instead:

• reh-see-BEE-mos

Both are normal in their respective varieties.

Yes, absolutely.

Both of these are correct:

• Recibimos la orden ayer
• Ayer recibimos la orden

The second version brings yesterday to the front, which can make the time more prominent. Spanish often moves time expressions around quite freely.

So if you want a very natural alternative, Ayer recibimos la orden works perfectly.

It is neutral. Nothing in the sentence is especially formal or especially informal.

• Recibimos is just a normal past-tense verb form
• la orden is standard vocabulary
• ayer is a basic time word

So the sentence could appear in everyday conversation, business language, or written Spanish, depending on what kind of order is being talked about.