Apercevoir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

apercevoir — to notice, to see — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, irregular -ir verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find apercevoir in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the apercevoir conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the apercevoir passé composé tense page.

Example sentences with apercevoir

In the present tense

  • “J'aperçois Marie tous les jours.” — “I notice Marie every day.”
  • “Tu aperçois Marie à la maison.” — “You notice Marie at home.”
  • “Il aperçoit Marie ce matin.” — “He notices Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous apercevons Marie avec Paul.” — “We notice Marie with Paul.”
  • “Vous apercevez Marie.” — “You notice Marie.”
  • “Ils aperçoivent Marie tous les jours.” — “They notice Marie every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai aperçu Marie hier.” — “I have noticed Marie yesterday.”
  • “Tu as aperçu Marie la semaine dernière.” — “You have noticed Marie last week.”
  • “Il a aperçu Marie ce matin.” — “He has noticed Marie this morning.”
  • “Nous avons aperçu Marie avant la fête.” — “We have noticed Marie before the party.”
  • “Vous avez aperçu Marie.” — “You have noticed Marie.”
  • “Ils ont aperçu Marie hier.” — “They have noticed Marie yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “J'apercevais Marie à la maison.” — “I used to notice Marie at home.”
  • “Tu apercevras Marie bientôt.” — “You will notice Marie soon.”
  • “Il apercevrait Marie avec Paul.” — “He would notice Marie with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous apercevions Marie tous les jours.” — “It is important that We notice Marie every day.”
  • “Aperçois Marie !” — “Notice Marie!”

Apercevoir in context

J'aperçois Marie tous les jours. Tu aperçois Marie à la maison. Il aperçoit Marie ce matin. Nous apercevons Marie avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de apercevoir est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — aperçois, aperçois, aperçoit, apercevons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to notice, to see. J'ai aperçu Marie hier. Tu as aperçu Marie la semaine dernière. Il a aperçu Marie ce matin. Nous avons aperçu Marie avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de apercevoir apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to notice, to see — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je apercevoir Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'aperçois Marie tous les jours.”

The infinitive apercevoir never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form aperçois.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je aperçois Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'aperçois Marie tous les jours.”

aperçois is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is aperçois — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “J'aperçois Marie hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai aperçu Marie hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai aperçu here, not the present aperçois.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je apercevons Marie.”

✓ Right: “J'aperçois Marie tous les jours.”

apercevoir is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on apercevoir across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of apercevoir in the Present indicative?

    • A) aperçois
    • B) aperçus
    • C) auras aperçu
    • D) aurais aperçu

  2. What is the je form of apercevoir in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) ai aperçu
    • B) apercevrais
    • C) aperçus
    • D) ont aperçu

  3. What is the il/elle form of apercevoir in the Imperfect?

    • A) apercevais
    • B) aperçût
    • C) apercevait
    • D) aperçoive

  4. What is the nous form of apercevoir in the Future?

    • A) apercevrons
    • B) apercevras
    • C) apercevrez
    • D) apercevions

  5. What is the tu form of apercevoir in the Conditional?

    • A) apercevrais
    • B) aperçusses
    • C) auras aperçu
    • D) aurais aperçu

  6. What is the je form of apercevoir in the Passé simple?

    • A) aperçusse
    • B) aperçut
    • C) aperçus
    • D) aurais aperçu

  7. What is the nous form of apercevoir in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) aperçoive
    • B) avons aperçu
    • C) apercevions
    • D) aperçûmes

  8. What is the gerund of apercevoir?

    • A) considérant
    • B) en apercevant
    • C) battant
    • D) contrôlant

  9. What is the past participle of apercevoir?

    • A) coupé
    • B) réparé
    • C) aperçu
    • D) éteint

  10. What does apercevoir mean in English?

  • A) notice
  • B) create
  • C) confess
  • D) compare

Answer key

  1. A) aperçois — the tu form of apercevoir in the present indicative is aperçois. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. A) ai aperçu — the je form of apercevoir in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai aperçu. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) apercevait — the il/elle form of apercevoir in the imperfect is apercevait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) apercevrons — the nous form of apercevoir in the future is apercevrons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) apercevrais — the tu form of apercevoir in the conditional is apercevrais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. C) aperçus — the je form of apercevoir in the passé simple is aperçus. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) apercevions — the nous form of apercevoir in the present subjunctive is apercevions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. B) en apercevant — the gerund of apercevoir is en apercevant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. C) aperçu — the past participle of apercevoir is aperçu; perfect tenses use avoir + aperçu. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) notice — apercevoir means “to notice” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does apercevoir mean in English?

apercevoir means “to notice, to see”. You use it whenever you talk about to notice, to see in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is apercevoir regular or irregular?

apercevoir is irregular. apercevoir is irregular in present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative: those tenses do not follow the regular -ir pattern, so learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. The other tenses follow the regular pattern.

What are the gerund and past participle of apercevoir?

The gerund is en apercevant and the past participle is aperçu. The perfect tenses use avoir + aperçu.

Where can I see the full conjugation of apercevoir?

On the apercevoir conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The apercevoir passé composé tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apercevoir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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