Introduction

Ricevere means “to receive”, and this page covers exactly one thing: ricevere in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for ricevere, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about ricevere in the present. It means to receive a letter, a gift or news, and it is completely regular. Its passato remoto uses the -etti forms — io ricevetti — which is the first-listed form in the standard references. For example: “Lui riceve una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He receives a letter.” Everything on this page uses the forms of ricevere exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Ricevere in the Present — full table

Person Form
io ricevo
tu ricevi
lui/lei riceve
noi riceviamo
voi ricevete
loro ricevono
Gerund: ricevendo · Past participle: ricevuto
The gerund is ricevendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Ricevendo una lettera, imparo molto.” — “While receiving a letter, I learn a lot.” The past participle is ricevuto, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho ricevuto is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how ricevere is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for ricevere, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of ricevere is formed

The present tense of ricevere has six forms: io ricevo, tu ricevi, lui riceve, noi riceviamo, voi ricevete, loro ricevono. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. ricevere is regular: every form follows the standard -ere endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of ricevere are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning riceviamo and ricevete pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so ricevo can mean both “I receive” and “I am receiving” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because ricevere is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ere endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ere verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of ricevere

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use ricevere in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and ricevere is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “I receive a letter.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about ricevere does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui riceve una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He receives a letter.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with ricevere in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi riceviamo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “We receive a letter.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu ricevi una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You receive a letter.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and ricevere in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro ricevono una lettera ogni giorno.” — “They receive a letter.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui riceve una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He receives a letter”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha ricevuto una lettera questa settimana.” — “He has received a letter”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “I receive a letter”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho ricevuto una lettera questa settimana.” — “I have received a letter”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu ricevi una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You receive a letter”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai ricevuto una lettera questa settimana.” — “You have received a letter”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: ricevere in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “I receive a letter”
  2. “Tu ricevi una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You receive a letter”
  3. “Lui riceve una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He receives a letter”
  4. “Noi riceviamo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “We receive a letter”
  5. “Voi ricevete una lettera ogni giorno.” — “You receive a letter”
  6. “Loro ricevono una lettera ogni giorno.” — “They receive a letter”
  7. “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” — “I receive a letter”
  8. “Lui riceve una lettera ogni giorno.” — “He receives a letter”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io ricevi una lettera.” Right: “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is ricevo, not ricevi. ricevi is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi ricevo una lettera.” Right: “Noi riceviamo una lettera ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form riceviamo. ricevo belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho ricevuto una lettera questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho ricevuto for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io ricevere una lettera.” Right: “Io ricevo una lettera ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive ricevere never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form ricevo.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevi
    • B) ricevo
    • C) riceve
    • D) riceviamo

  2. What is the tu form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevo
    • B) riceve
    • C) ricevi
    • D) riceviamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevo
    • B) ricevi
    • C) riceviamo
    • D) riceve

  4. What is the noi form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) riceviamo
    • B) ricevo
    • C) ricevi
    • D) riceve

  5. What is the voi form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevo
    • B) ricevete
    • C) ricevi
    • D) riceve

  6. What is the loro form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevo
    • B) ricevi
    • C) ricevono
    • D) riceve

  7. What is the io form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevi
    • B) riceve
    • C) riceviamo
    • D) ricevo

  8. What is the tu form of ricevere in the Present indicative?

    • A) ricevi
    • B) ricevo
    • C) riceve
    • D) riceviamo

Answer key

  1. B) ricevo — the correct form is ricevo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ricevi — the correct form is ricevi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) riceve — the correct form is riceve. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) riceviamo — the correct form is riceviamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ricevete — the correct form is ricevete. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) ricevono — the correct form is ricevono. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ricevo — the correct form is ricevo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ricevi — the correct form is ricevi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ricevere mean in English?

ricevere means “to receive”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ere verb.

How is the present tense of ricevere formed?

The six present forms are: io ricevo, tu ricevi, lui riceve, noi riceviamo, voi ricevete, loro ricevono. ricevere is regular: every form follows the standard -ere endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of ricevere?

The gerund is ricevendo and the past participle is ricevuto.

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