Je reconnais la voix de Marie.

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Breakdown of Je reconnais la voix de Marie.

• Marie: Marie
• de: of
• la voix: the voice

Questions & Answers about Je reconnais la voix de Marie.

Why is it je reconnais and not je reconnaît?

Because je reconnais is the 1st person singular form of the verb reconnaître in the present tense.

Present tense of reconnaître:

• je reconnais = I recognize
• tu reconnais = you recognize
• il/elle reconnaît = he/she recognizes
• nous reconnaissons = we recognize
• vous reconnaissez = you recognize
• ils/elles reconnaissent = they recognize

So reconnaît goes with il/elle, not je.

What does reconnaître mean here, and how is it different from connaître?

Here, reconnaître means to recognize — in other words, to identify something or someone because it is familiar.

So in this sentence, Je reconnais la voix de Marie means that the speaker hears the voice and identifies it as Marie’s.

By contrast, connaître usually means to know / be familiar with:

• Je connais Marie = I know Marie
• Je reconnais Marie = I recognize Marie

A useful shortcut:

• connaître = know
• reconnaître = recognize

Why is there before ? Why not just say ?