How to Use the Irregular French Verb "Recevoir"

Learn Present, Past, and Other Tenses.

Woman receiving gift from man
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The French verb recevoir (pronounced "ruh-say-v'wah") is one of the more challenging to learn because it's highly irregular once you get into the past tense and other conjugations. Translated as "to receive" or "to get", this verb is so irregular that it doesn't fit in any pattern. 

Usage

Recevoir is what's commonly known in French as an irregular ir- verb. These verbs don't follow the regular patterns of conjugation, so students have to memorize them individually. Other ir- verbs include: asseoir, courir, devoir, falloir, mourir, pleuvoir, pouvoir, recevoir, savoir, tenir, valoir, venir, voir and vouloir.

Verbs that end in -cevoir are conjugated the same way. These include:

  • apercevoir > to catch sight of, to foresee
  • concevoir > to conceive
  • décevoir > to disappoint
  • percevoir > to perceive
  • recevoir > to receive

Uses and Expressions

The table below includes only simple conjugations of the irregular French -ir verb recevoir. It does not include compound tenses, which include a form of the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle.

  • recevoir une salaire > to get paid
  • recevoir un prix > to be awarded a prize / to be given a prize or award
  • recevoir un cadeau > to get / receive / be given a gift
  • recevoir courrier / coup de téléphone > to get mail / to get a telephone call
  • Veuillez recevoir, Madame, l'expression de mes sentiments les meilleurs ou mes salutations distinguées > Yours sincerely
  • recevoir un coup sur la tête > to receive a blow to the head
  • recevoir quelqu'un à dîner > to invite someone to dinner
  • J'ai été mal reçu. > I was made to feel unwelcome.
  • La maison peut recevoir six personnes. > The house sleeps six people.
  • Le médecin reçoit/ne reçoit pas aujourd'hui. > The doctor is / isn't seeing patients today.
  • se faire recevoir > to get told off
  • Je n'ai de conseils à recevoir de personne ! > I don't have to take advice from anybody!
  • Elle sait merveilleusement recevoir. > She's a marvelous hostess. / She's marvelous at entertaining.

Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French '-ir' Verb 'Recevoir'

Present Future Imperfect Present Participle
je reçois recevrai recevais recevant
tu reҫois recevras recevais
il reҫoit recevra recevait
nous recevons recevrons recevions
vous recevez recevrez receviez
ils reҫoivent recevront recevaient

 

Subjunctive Conditional Passé simple Imperfect subjunctive
je reҫoive recevrais reҫus reҫusse
tu reҫoives recevrais reҫus reҫusses
il reҫoive recevrait reҫut recût
nous recevions recevrions reҫûmes reҫussions
vous receviez recevriez reҫûtes reҫussiez
ils reҫoivent recevraient reҫurent reҫussent
Imperative
(tu) reҫois
(nous) recevons
(vous) recevez
Format
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Your Citation
Team, ThoughtCo. "How to Use the Irregular French Verb "Recevoir"." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/recevoir-to-receive-1370737. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). How to Use the Irregular French Verb "Recevoir". Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/recevoir-to-receive-1370737 Team, ThoughtCo. "How to Use the Irregular French Verb "Recevoir"." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/recevoir-to-receive-1370737 (accessed March 28, 2024).