recevoir is a French verb meaning "to receive," used when someone gets or is given something, whether it's a message, a guest, or an object. It expresses the act of taking in or accepting something from another person or source.
- Used for accepting or obtaining things, services, messages, or people
- Can be both literal (receiving a gift) and figurative (receiving information)
- Common in everyday and formal contexts
*recevoir* means "to receive."
Yes, *recevoir* can be used for both tangible and intangible things.
Conjugation Patterns
recevoir is an irregular verb. Its root changes in some forms (e.g., reçois, reçoit, recev-), and it belongs to the same group as other verbs like apercevoir (to notice).
- Present root: reçoiv- or recev-
- Past participle: reçu
- Related verbs: apercevoir (to notice/percieve)
*recevoir* is an irregular verb.
The past participle of *recevoir* is *reçu*.
Full Conjugations
Present
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | reçois | I receive |
| Tu | reçois | You receive (sing.) |
| Il/Elle/On | reçoit | He/She/One receives |
| Nous | recevons | We receive |
| Vous | recevez | You receive (pl.) |
| Ils/Elles | reçoivent | They receive |
Past Participle & Auxiliary
- Past Participle: reçu
- Auxiliary: avoir
Passé Composé
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | ai reçu | I received |
| Tu | as reçu | You received |
| Il/Elle/On | a reçu | He/She/One received |
| Nous | avons reçu | We received |
| Vous | avez reçu | You received |
| Ils/Elles | ont reçu | They received |
Imparfait
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | recevais | I was receiving |
| Tu | recevais | You were receiving |
| Il/Elle | recevait | He/She was receiving |
| Nous | recevions | We were receiving |
| Vous | receviez | You were receiving |
| Ils/Elles | recevaient | They were receiving |
Futur Simple
| Subject | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | recevrai | I will receive |
| Tu | recevras | You will receive |
| Il/Elle | recevra | He/She will receive |
| Nous | recevrons | We will receive |
| Vous | recevrez | You will receive |
| Ils/Elles | recevront | They will receive |
Example Sentences
Present
- Je reçois souvent des emails de mes collègues.
(I often receive emails from my colleagues.)
- Nous recevons des invités ce week-end.
(We are receiving guests this weekend.)
The correct present tense form for 'they receive' is 'ils reçoivent'.
Passé Composé
- Elle a reçu une récompense pour son travail.
(She received an award for her work.)
- Vous avez reçu ma lettre?
(Did you receive my letter?)
The correct form is 'Nous avons reçu le colis.'
Imparfait
- Quand j'étais enfant, je recevais beaucoup de jouets à Noël.
(When I was a child, I used to receive a lot of toys at Christmas.)
- Ils recevaient toujours nos appels.
(They always used to receive our calls.)
The correct imparfait form is 'Tu recevais des mises à jour.'
Futur
- Tu recevras bientôt une réponse.
(You will receive a response soon.)
- Nous recevrons les résultats demain.
(We will receive the results tomorrow.)
The correct future form is 'Elle recevra l'invitation.'
Conclusion
recevoir is a versatile irregular verb essential for expressing the act of receiving in various contexts and tenses.
- Means "to receive" and is used for both tangible and intangible things.
- Irregular verb with unique stems; conjugation includes reçois, reçoit, recev-, and past participle reçu.
- Commonly used in everyday situations involving people, messages, gifts, and services.