recevoir

Irregular Verb Recevoir (To Receive)

Level 1

recevoir (to receive/get) is a high-frequency irregular verb. It uses three different stems in the present tense: reçoi-, recev-, and reçoiv-.

How It Works

The verb recevoir belongs to the third group of French verbs. It is the model for other verbs like apercevoir (to notice) and décevoir (to disappoint).

1. Present Tense Conjugation:
The verb splits into three stems:

  • reçoi- (Singular): je reçois, tu reçois, il/elle/on reçoit
  • recev- (1st/2nd Plural): nous recevons, vous recevez
  • reçoiv- (3rd Plural): ils/elles reçoivent

2. The Cedilla Rule:
In French, the letter 'c' sounds like 'k' before 'o', 'a', or 'u'. To keep the soft 's' sound of the infinitive recevoir, we add a cedilla: ç. Notice that nous recevons does NOT need a cedilla because 'c' is followed by 'e', which is already soft.

3. Common Meanings:

  • To get/receive: Je reçois un cadeau. (I receive a gift.)
  • To host guests: Nous recevons des amis. (We are having friends over.)
  • Professional visits: Le médecin reçoit sans rendez-vous. (The doctor sees patients without an appointment.)

Examples (5)

  1. Je reçois beaucoup d'e-mails chaque matin.

    I receive many emails every morning.

    Word by Word: I receive many of emails each morning.

    Uses the singular stem 'reçoi-' with a cedilla.

  2. Nous recevons nos voisins à dîner ce soir.

    We are having our neighbors over for dinner tonight.

    Word by Word: We receive our neighbors at dinner this evening.

    In this context, 'recevoir' means to host or have guests over.

  3. Est-ce que tu reçois le signal Wi-Fi ici ?

    Do you get the Wi-Fi signal here?

    Word by Word: Is it that you receive the signal Wi-Fi here?

    Used for receiving physical or electronic signals.

  4. Ils reçoivent une lettre de leur grand-mère.

    They are receiving a letter from their grandmother.

    Word by Word: They receive a letter from their grandmother.

    The third-person plural uses the 'reçoiv-' stem.

  5. Le docteur reçoit ses patients dans son cabinet.

    The doctor sees his patients in his office.

    Word by Word: The doctor receives his patients in his office.

    Used professionally to mean 'seeing' or 'admitting' someone.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the cedilla (ç).

    Je recois un message.
    Je reçois un message.

    Without the cedilla, 'recois' would be pronounced like 're-kwa'. The 'ç' is necessary to keep the 's' sound.

  • Adding a cedilla where it isn't needed.

    Nous reçevons des invités.
    Nous recevons des invités.

    The letter 'c' is already soft before 'e' and 'i', so a cedilla is never used in 'recevons' or 'recevez'.

  • Using 'décevoir' when you mean 'to deceive'.

    Different MeaningIl me déçoit.
    Il me trompe.

    'Il me déçoit' is correct French, but it means 'he disappoints me'. 'Décevoir' (conjugated like 'recevoir') is a false friend of 'to deceive'. To say 'he deceives me', use 'tromper'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

recevoirLevel 1Irregular Verb Recevoir (To Receive)

Learn This First

To learn the present tense of 'recevoir', you must first be familiar with French subject pronouns. It is also helpful to understand regular -ir verb endings and the conjugation of similar irregular verbs like 'devoir', as they share the same stem-changing patterns and endings.

Words in This Pattern

recevoir