Recevoir is the verb to receive — and it is the prototype for an entire family of verbs ending in -cevoir: apercevoir (notice, glimpse), concevoir (conceive), décevoir (disappoint), percevoir (perceive; collect taxes). All conjugate identically. Master recevoir and you have five high-frequency verbs.
Two defining features. First, a three-way stem split in the present indicative — reço- (with cedilla) in the singular, recev- in the nous / vous plural, and reçoiv- in the third-person plural. Same shape as boire. Second, a cedilla rule: ç appears before a, o, u to keep the /s/ sound; plain c before e, i, y. Track it throughout the paradigm.
The literary passé simple uses the u-pattern (je reçus, nous reçûmes). Auxiliary in compound tenses is avoir.
This page is the full reference: every paradigm, every compound tense, the cedilla rule, the -cevoir family, and the idioms — including recevoir des amis (entertain) and être bien reçu (be welcomed).
The cedilla rule (essential)
The rule: c is hard /k/ by default, but soft /s/ before e, i, y. To force /s/ before a, o, u, French writes ç. In recevoir, the stem-final consonant must always sound /s/, so the cedilla tracks the following vowel.
| Following letter | Spelling | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| e, i, y | c (no cedilla) | recevons, recevez, recevions, receviez, recevrai |
| a, o, u | ç (with cedilla) | reçois, reçoit, reçoivent, reçu, reçus, reçut, reçoive |
If you drop the cedilla, recois reads /ʁəkwa/ — "I rok" — instead of /ʁəswa/. The cedilla carries the pronunciation; it is not decorative.
The simple tenses
Présent de l'indicatif
The three-way stem split. Singular reço-, plural 1/2 recev-, plural 3 reçoiv-.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | reçois | /ʁəswa/ |
| tu | reçois | /ʁəswa/ |
| il / elle / on | reçoit | /ʁəswa/ |
| nous | recevons | /ʁəs(ə)vɔ̃/ |
| vous | recevez | /ʁəs(ə)ve/ |
| ils / elles | reçoivent | /ʁəswav/ |
Note the je reçois / tu reçois / il reçoit / ils reçoivent set: all four have the cedilla, all four have the diphthong-style oi, all four are pronounced /ʁəswa/ (or /ʁəswav/ for reçoivent). Only nous recevons and vous recevez break the pattern with the unmarked c and the simple /ə/ vowel.
Je reçois beaucoup de spams ces derniers temps.
I've been getting a lot of spam lately.
Tu reçois bien le wifi de la chambre ?
Are you getting the wifi properly in the bedroom?
Nous recevons nos amis à dîner ce samedi.
We're having our friends over for dinner this Saturday.
Ils reçoivent leur courrier à une adresse postale.
They get their mail at a P.O. box.
Imparfait
Built on the nous-form stem recev- plus the regular imparfait endings. No cedilla anywhere — every ending starts with i or a, but the a in -ais, -ait, -aient follows the v, not the c. The c is always followed by e in this paradigm.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | recevais |
| tu | recevais |
| il / elle / on | recevait |
| nous | recevions |
| vous | receviez |
| ils / elles | recevaient |
Quand j'étais étudiant, je recevais une bourse mensuelle.
When I was a student, I received a monthly grant.
Mes parents recevaient souvent leurs voisins le dimanche.
My parents often used to have their neighbors over on Sundays.
Passé simple (literary)
The u-pattern, with cedilla throughout (every form has u after the c).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | reçus |
| tu | reçus |
| il / elle / on | reçut |
| nous | reçûmes |
| vous | reçûtes |
| ils / elles | reçurent |
The nous and vous forms carry the circumflex (reçûmes, reçûtes). All six forms keep the cedilla — u is one of the cedilla-triggering letters.
Le ministre reçut la délégation à dix heures précises.
The minister received the delegation at exactly ten o'clock. (literary / formal)
Ils reçurent un accueil chaleureux dès leur arrivée.
They received a warm welcome from the moment they arrived. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem recevr- (drop -oir from the infinitive, take recev- from the imparfait stem, then add r + futur endings). No cedilla — every ending starts with a (-ai, -as, -a) or o (-ons, -ont), but the consonant before is v, not c. The c is always followed by e here too.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | recevrai |
| tu | recevras |
| il / elle / on | recevra |
| nous | recevrons |
| vous | recevrez |
| ils / elles | recevront |
The stem recevr- drops the -oir of the infinitive — the same pattern that gives devoir → je devrai. The whole -cevoir family follows it uniformly (je décevrai, j'apercevrai, je concevrai, je percevrai).
Tu recevras une notification quand le colis arrivera.
You'll get a notification when the package arrives.
On recevra les résultats par mail dans la semaine.
We'll get the results by email within the week.
Conditionnel présent
Same stem recevr- as the futur, with the imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | recevrais |
| tu | recevrais |
| il / elle / on | recevrait |
| nous | recevrions |
| vous | recevriez |
| ils / elles | recevraient |
Si je commandais maintenant, je recevrais le livre demain.
If I ordered now, I'd get the book tomorrow.
Vous recevriez un meilleur signal en sortant sur le balcon.
You'd get a better signal by going out on the balcony.
Subjonctif présent
The same three-way stem split as the present indicative — reçoive in the singular and third-plural, recevions / receviez with the recev- stem in nous / vous.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) je | reçoive |
| (que) tu | reçoives |
| (qu')il / elle / on | reçoive |
| (que) nous | recevions |
| (que) vous | receviez |
| (qu')ils / elles | reçoivent |
Note that que nous recevions and que vous receviez are spelled identically to the imparfait nous recevions / vous receviez. Context disambiguates.
Je veux que tu reçoives la prime que tu mérites.
I want you to get the bonus you deserve.
Il faut que nous recevions confirmation avant de partir.
We need to receive confirmation before leaving.
Impératif
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | reçois |
| (nous) | recevons |
| (vous) | recevez |
Reçois mes plus sincères condoléances.
Please accept my deepest condolences. (formal letter closing)
Recevez, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.
Yours sincerely. (formal closing of a French business letter)
The vous imperative recevez is the formula that ends nearly every formal French letter — it is one of the few imperatives a learner is likely to write before saying.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: reçu / reçue / reçus / reçues (cedilla preserved, vowel u)
- Participe présent: recevant
- Gérondif: en recevant
En recevant la nouvelle, j'ai éclaté en larmes.
On receiving the news, I burst into tears.
Elle a été très bien reçue à son arrivée.
She was very warmly welcomed when she arrived.
The past participle reçu keeps the cedilla — and the feminine reçue and the plurals reçus / reçues keep it too, by paradigmatic consistency. (Strictly, c is already soft before e, so the cedilla in reçue is redundant on phonetic grounds; French preserves it because the base form reçu already carries it.)
The compound tenses
Recevoir takes avoir as its auxiliary. Past participle reçu.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + reçu
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai reçu | I received / got |
| tu | as reçu | you received |
| il / elle / on | a reçu | he/she/we received |
| nous | avons reçu | we received |
| vous | avez reçu | you received |
| ils / elles | ont reçu | they received |
J'ai reçu ton message hier soir, désolé pour la réponse tardive.
I got your message last night, sorry for the late reply.
Vous avez reçu votre badge à l'accueil ?
Did you get your badge at reception?
Because recevoir takes avoir, the past participle agrees only with a preceding direct object: les lettres que j'ai reçues (with feminine plural -es), but j'ai reçu les lettres (no agreement).
Les compliments qu'elle a reçus l'ont touchée.
The compliments she received touched her.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + reçu
J'avais reçu le cadeau bien avant son anniversaire.
I'd received the gift well before her birthday.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + reçu
D'ici demain, j'aurai reçu tous les justificatifs nécessaires.
By tomorrow, I'll have received all the necessary supporting documents.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + reçu
J'aurais reçu une réponse plus tôt si j'avais relancé.
I would have gotten a response sooner if I'd followed up.
Subjonctif passé
avoir (subjonctif) + reçu
Je suis content que vous ayez reçu mon paquet à temps.
I'm glad you received my package in time.
Core uses
1. Receive (something tangible or intangible)
The basic transitive use. Recevoir takes a direct object — a letter, a package, a message, a prize, an award, news.
J'ai reçu une lettre de l'administration ce matin.
I received a letter from the administration this morning.
Elle a reçu le prix Goncourt pour son premier roman.
She received the Prix Goncourt for her first novel.
On reçoit toujours les colis chez la voisine.
We always have packages delivered to the neighbor's.
2. Recevoir des amis / des invités — entertain, host
A use that English doesn't quite share: recevoir with people as the object means "to entertain," "to host." French speakers use recevoir for hosting a dinner, a guest, a delegation — even an evening of friends. The English-speaking learner often reaches for avoir (have over) and produces an unidiomatic phrase.
Ce soir on reçoit ma belle-famille, prie pour moi.
Tonight we're hosting my in-laws, pray for me.
Elle aime recevoir, c'est une excellente hôtesse.
She loves to entertain, she's an excellent hostess.
Désolé, je ne peux pas vous parler longtemps, je reçois.
Sorry, I can't talk long, I have guests.
3. Être bien / mal reçu — be well- or poorly-received
A passive construction with adverbial qualifiers — used both literally (a guest welcomed warmly or coldly) and figuratively (an idea, a proposal, a film well- or badly-received).
Sa proposition a été très mal reçue par le conseil.
Her proposal was very poorly received by the board.
On a été chaleureusement reçus par nos hôtes.
We were warmly welcomed by our hosts.
4. Recevoir in academic or medical contexts
In medical contexts, a doctor reçoit ses patients (sees patients). In academic contexts, être reçu à un examen means to pass an exam (literary register; réussir is more common in modern speech).
Le médecin reçoit sur rendez-vous uniquement.
The doctor sees patients by appointment only.
Il a été reçu premier au concours d'entrée.
He came first in the entrance exam. (formal)
High-frequency idioms and collocations
- recevoir un coup — take a blow
- recevoir une gifle / une claque — be slapped
- recevoir des nouvelles de quelqu'un — hear from someone
- recevoir bien / mal une nouvelle — take news well / badly
- être bien reçu — be well-received, be welcomed
- recevoir avec plaisir / froideur — receive warmly / coldly
- recevoir des ordres — take orders
- recevoir une éducation — get an education
- recevoir un appel — get a call
Je n'ai pas reçu de nouvelles de mon frère depuis trois semaines.
I haven't heard from my brother in three weeks.
Il a reçu la nouvelle avec un calme étonnant.
He took the news with surprising calm.
Elle a reçu une éducation très stricte.
She received a very strict upbringing.
The -cevoir family
These verbs all conjugate exactly like recevoir: same three-way stem split, same cedilla rule, same recevr- futur stem (adapted for each verb).
| Verb | Meaning | Past participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| apercevoir | notice, glimpse, catch sight of | aperçu | il aperçoit, ils aperçoivent, j'apercevrai |
| s'apercevoir de | realize, become aware of | aperçu | il s'aperçoit, ils s'aperçoivent |
| concevoir | conceive, design, imagine | conçu | il conçoit, ils conçoivent, je concevrai |
| décevoir | disappoint | déçu | il déçoit, ils déçoivent, je décevrai |
| percevoir | perceive; collect (taxes, fees) | perçu | il perçoit, ils perçoivent, je percevrai |
Two cautions:
Faux ami: décevoir means "to disappoint," not "to deceive." "To deceive" is tromper in French. The Latin decipere split: French kept the "let down expectation" sense, English drifted toward "mislead."
Le film m'a beaucoup déçu, je m'attendais à mieux.
The film disappointed me a lot, I was expecting better.
Je suis désolé de te décevoir, mais je ne peux pas venir.
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't come.
The reflexive s'apercevoir de is the standard way to say "realize / notice." It is more idiomatic than réaliser in many contexts (though modern French increasingly uses réaliser under English influence). S'apercevoir requires the preposition de.
Je me suis aperçu trop tard que j'avais oublié mon passeport.
I realized too late that I'd forgotten my passport.
On s'aperçoit vite de la différence.
You quickly notice the difference.
Personne ne s'est aperçu de mon départ.
No one noticed my leaving.
Comparison with English
Three friction points for English speakers:
- The cedilla is non-negotiable. Je recois (without cedilla) would be pronounced /ʁəkwa/ — "I rok" — not "I receive." Track it across every form.
- "Receive" doesn't host parties in English. French recevoir des amis is "to host / have friends over / entertain." Learners often try avoir des amis (which just means "have friends" in the abstract). When the object is a group of guests, recevoir is the right verb.
- Décevoir is "disappoint," not "deceive." Classic faux ami. For "deceive," use tromper.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Dropping the cedilla.
❌ Je recois beaucoup de messages.
Wrong — without the cedilla, the *c* would be hard /k/. The correct form is *reçois*.
✅ Je reçois beaucoup de messages.
I get a lot of messages.
Mistake 2: Adding a cedilla where it isn't needed.
❌ Nous reçevons un colis.
Wrong — *c* before *e* is already soft. No cedilla in *recevons*.
✅ Nous recevons un colis.
We're receiving a package.
Mistake 3: Using avoir + person to mean "entertain."
❌ Ce soir on a des amis pour dîner.
Marked — *avoir des amis* means 'have friends' (own them, in the abstract). For 'have friends over,' use *recevoir*.
✅ Ce soir on reçoit des amis à dîner.
Tonight we're having friends over for dinner.
Mistake 4: Confusing décevoir with "deceive."
❌ Il m'a décu en me mentant.
Wrong sense — *décevoir* means 'disappoint,' not 'deceive.' For 'deceive,' use *tromper*: *il m'a trompé en me mentant*.
✅ Il m'a déçu en me mentant.
He disappointed me by lying. (correct sense if you mean 'let down')
Mistake 5: Forgetting the circumflex in the literary passé simple.
❌ Nous reçumes la nouvelle dans la soirée.
Wrong — the *nous* / *vous* passé-simple forms carry a circumflex: *reçûmes, reçûtes*.
✅ Nous reçûmes la nouvelle dans la soirée.
We received the news in the evening. (literary)
Key takeaways
Recevoir has a three-way stem split in the present: reço- (singular), recev- (1st/2nd plural), reçoiv- (3rd plural). The split returns in the subjunctive; the imparfait uses recev-; the futur and conditionnel use recevr-; the past participle is reçu.
The cedilla rule is non-negotiable: ç before a, o, u (to keep the /s/ sound), plain c before e, i, y. Forms with cedilla: reçois, reçoit, reçoivent, reçu, reçut, reçoive. Without: recevons, recevez, recevais, recevions, recevrai. The literary passé simple (je reçus, nous reçûmes) follows the u-pattern, with circumflex on nous / vous and cedilla throughout.
Auxiliary in compound tenses is avoir, with participle agreement only on a preceding direct object: les lettres que j'ai reçues, but j'ai reçu les lettres.
The verb covers literal receiving, the idiomatic "entertain / host" (recevoir des amis), and the passive "be well- / poorly-received" (être bien / mal reçu). The -cevoir family — apercevoir, concevoir, décevoir, percevoir — conjugates identically. Watch the false friend: décevoir is "disappoint," not "deceive."
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