recevoir Passé composé Tense Conjugation in French

The passé composé of recevoir — receive — is the form you need for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. recevoir is the verb for talking about post and presents: it comes up whenever you talk about describing good news or welcoming guests. This page gives you the complete passé composé table for recevoir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “J'ai reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “I have received a letter this week.”

Passé composé conjugation of recevoir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for recevoir. recevoir is irregular (regular in the passé composé), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Passé composé — recevoir

Person Form
je ai reçu
tu as reçu
il/elle a reçu
nous avons reçu
vous avez reçu
ils/elles ont reçu

The gerund of recevoir is en recevant and the past participle is reçu. The participle matters here because the passé composé is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the passé composé of recevoir is formed

The passé composé of recevoir is formed with the auxiliary avoir in the present plus the past participle reçu. The six forms are ai reçu, as reçu, a reçu, avons reçu, avez reçu and ont reçu. The auxiliary is avoir for this verb — do not swap it for the other auxiliary.

Because recevoir uses avoir as its auxiliary, the participle reçu is the same in the table for every person. In real sentences the participle can agree in gender and number with the subject when the auxiliary is être, or with a preceding direct object — that agreement is a sentence-level rule, and the base form in the table stays reçu.

The passé composé is the everyday spoken past tense in French. Learn these six forms as a set: once you can say ai reçu without thinking, you can talk about anything you did yesterday.

When to use the passé composé of recevoir

Completed actions at a specific time

Use the passé composé for an action that started and finished in the past. For example: “J'ai reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “I have received a letter this week.”

A sequence of actions

Use the passé composé to list one finished action after another. For example: “Nous avons reçu un cadeau cette semaine.” — “We have received a present this week.”

Recent events and news

Use the passé composé for something that has just happened. For example: “Il a reçu des amis cette semaine.” — “He has received friends this week.”

Life experience

Use the passé composé to talk about things you have done in your life. For example: “J'ai reçu un message cette semaine.” — “I have received a message this week.”

Passé composé vs imperfect: recevoir finished, recevoir in progress

The passé composé and the imperfect are the two tenses learners confuse most with recevoir. The passé composé is for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé; the imperfect is for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. Compare the pairs below — the passé composé form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Passé composé: “J'ai reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “I have received a letter this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Je recevais une lettre avant.” — “I used to receive a letter before.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a reçu un cadeau cette semaine.” — “He has received a present this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Il recevait un cadeau avant.” — “He used to receive a present before.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons reçu des amis cette semaine.” — “We have received friends this week.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous recevions des amis avant.” — “We used to receive friends before.”

Example sentences: recevoir in the passé composé

Six sentences using only the passé composé of recevoir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes in the passé composé of recevoir

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je avons reçu une lettre.”

✓ Right: “Je ai reçu une lettre.”

avons reçu is the nous form. With je the passé composé form is ai reçu.

2. Using the present for a finished action

✗ Wrong: “Hier, je reçois un cadeau.”

✓ Right: “Hier, j'ai reçu un cadeau.”

The present reçois describes now. For something finished yesterday, use the passé composé ai reçu.

3. Forgetting the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Je reçu des amis hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai reçu des amis hier.”

The passé composé needs its auxiliary: ai reçu is avoir + reçu. The participle alone is not a finished sentence.

4. Using the passé composé where the imperfect belongs

✗ Wrong: “Avant, je ai reçu un message tous les jours.” (said of a repeated habit)

✓ Right: “Avant, je recevais un message tous les jours.”

For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect recevais.

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu ai reçu une lettre.”

✓ Right: “Tu as reçu une lettre.”

With tu the passé composé form is as reçu, not ai reçu. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the passé composé of recevoir

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

  1. What is the je form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

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

  2. What is the tu form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

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

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

    • A) avons reçu
    • B) avez reçu
    • C) ai reçu
    • D) a reçu

  4. What is the nous form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

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

  5. What is the vous form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

    • A) avons reçu
    • B) a reçu
    • C) avez reçu
    • D) ai reçu

  6. What is the ils/elles form of recevoir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ont reçu
    • B) ai reçu
    • C) avons reçu
    • D) avez reçu

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

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

  8. What is the gerund of recevoir?

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

  9. What is the past participle of recevoir?

    • A) reçu
    • B) dormi
    • C) bu

  10. What does recevoir mean in English?

  • A) drink
  • B) receive
  • C) sleep
  • D) open

Answer key

  1. C) ai reçu — The je form of recevoir in the present perfect is ai reçu.
  2. D) as reçu — The tu form of recevoir in the present perfect is as reçu.
  3. D) a reçu — The il/elle form of recevoir in the present perfect is a reçu.
  4. A) avons reçu — The nous form of recevoir in the present perfect is avons reçu.
  5. C) avez reçu — The vous form of recevoir in the present perfect is avez reçu.
  6. A) ont reçu — The ils/elles form of recevoir in the present perfect is ont reçu.
  7. B) reçois — The je form of recevoir in the present indicative is reçois.
  8. C) recevant — The gerund of recevoir is en recevant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. A) reçu — The past participle of recevoir is reçu; perfect tenses use avoir + reçu.
  10. B) receive — recevoir means “receive” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the passé composé of recevoir?

Use it for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. For recevoir that covers talking about post and presents, describing good news and welcoming guests.

Is the passé composé of recevoir regular?

recevoir is irregular. In the passé composé it is regular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of recevoir?

The past participle is reçu. The passé composé uses it with avoir for the perfect tenses.

How do I say “I receive” in the passé composé?

Say “J'ai reçu une lettre cette semaine.” — “I have received a letter this week.” The je form is ai reçu.

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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