recevoir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

recevoir — receive — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. recevoir is the verb for talking about post and presents: it comes up whenever you talk about describing good news or welcoming guests. On this page you will find recevoir 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.

Example sentences with recevoir

In the present tense

  • “Je reçois une lettre.” — “I receive a letter.”
  • “Tu reçois un cadeau.” — “You receive a present.”
  • “Il reçoit des amis.” — “He receives friends.”
  • “Nous recevons un message.” — “We receive a message.”
  • “Vous recevez une lettre.” — “You receive a letter.”
  • “Ils reçoivent un cadeau.” — “They receive a present.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “I have received a letter this week.”
  • “Tu as reçu un cadeau cette semaine.” — “You have received a present this week.”
  • “Il a reçu des amis cette semaine.” — “He has received friends this week.”
  • “Nous avons reçu un message cette semaine.” — “We have received a message this week.”
  • “Vous avez reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “You have received a letter this week.”
  • “Ils ont reçu un cadeau cette semaine.” — “They have received a present this week.”

In other tenses

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

  • “Je recevais une lettre avant.” — “I used to receive a letter before.”
  • “Je recevrai un cadeau demain.” — “I will receive a present tomorrow.”
  • “Je recevrais des amis un jour.” — “I would receive friends one day.”
  • “Bien que il reçoive un message” — “Although he receives a message.”

recevoir in context

Je reçois une lettre. Tu reçois un cadeau. Il reçoit des amis. Nous recevons un message.

I receive a letter. You receive a present. He receives friends. We receive a message.

J'ai reçu une lettre. Il a reçu un cadeau. Nous avons reçu des amis.

I have received a letter this week. He has received a present this week. We have received friends this week.

Common mistakes with recevoir

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je recevoir une lettre.

Right: Je reçois une lettre.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form reçois.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je recevons un cadeau.

Right: Je reçois un cadeau.

recevons is the nous form. With je, use reçois.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je reçois des amis.

Right: Hier, j'ai reçu des amis.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai reçu, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je reçois un message.

Right: Bien que je reçoive un message.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive reçoive.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je recevais une lettre hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai reçu une lettre hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on recevoir

Ten questions on recevoir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

    • A) recevons
    • B) reçoit
    • C) reçoivent
    • D) reçois

  2. What is the nous form of recevoir in the Present indicative?

    • A) reçois
    • B) recevez
    • C) recevons
    • D) reçoit

  3. What is the il/elle form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ont reçu
    • B) as reçu
    • C) a reçu
    • D) ai reçu

  4. What is the je form of recevoir in the Imperfect?

    • A) recevais
    • B) recevions
    • C) recevaient
    • D) recevait

  5. What is the nous form of recevoir in the Future?

    • A) recevrons
    • B) recevront
    • C) recevrez
    • D) recevrai

  6. What is the tu form of recevoir in the Conditional?

    • A) recevrions
    • B) recevriez
    • C) recevrait
    • D) recevrais

  7. What is the je form of recevoir in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) reçoive
    • B) recevions
    • C) receviez
    • D) reçoivent

  8. What is the il/elle form of recevoir in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) reçussent
    • B) reçusses
    • C) reçusse
    • D) reçût

  9. What is the gerund of recevoir?

    • A) buvant
    • B) dormant
    • C) recevant

  10. What is the past participle of recevoir?

  • A) bu
  • B) reçu
  • C) dormi

Answer key

  1. D) reçois — The tu form of recevoir in the present indicative is reçois.
  2. C) recevons — The nous form of recevoir in the present indicative is recevons.
  3. C) a reçu — The il/elle form of recevoir in the present perfect is a reçu.
  4. A) recevais — The je form of recevoir in the imperfect is recevais.
  5. A) recevrons — The nous form of recevoir in the future is recevrons.
  6. D) recevrais — The tu form of recevoir in the conditional is recevrais.
  7. A) reçoive — The je form of recevoir in the present subjunctive is reçoive.
  8. D) reçût — The il/elle form of recevoir in the imperfect subjunctive is reçût.
  9. C) recevant — The gerund of recevoir is en recevant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. B) reçu — The past participle of recevoir is reçu; perfect tenses use avoir + reçu.

Frequently asked questions

What does recevoir mean in English?

recevoir means “receive”. You use it for talking about post and presents, for describing good news, and for welcoming guests.

Is recevoir regular or irregular?

recevoir is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, passe-simple, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is en recevant and the past participle is reçu.

How do I say “I receive” in French?

Say “Je reçois une lettre.” — “I receive a letter.” The je form of the present is reçois.

Where can I see the full conjugation of recevoir?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Recevoir in Passé Composé Tense — French Conjugation Tables page.

How to practise recevoir this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with recevoir out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — une lettre, un cadeau and des amis — and change only the person, so you hear how reçois, reçois and reçoit sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai reçu and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en recevant and reçu in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

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

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