Recevoir Conjugation French: Master All Forms, Tenses, and Rules

The French verb recevoir translates primarily to to receive, to get, or to host/welcome guests. As an irregular verb belonging to the third group, it presents unique conjugation quirks—most notably stem adjustments and the cedilla (ç).

Whether you are preparing for a French exam (DELF/DALF) or aiming to write professional emails, understanding the conjugation of recevoir is essential. This comprehensive guide from my-french.com breaks down every tense step-by-step.

1. The Cedilla Rule: Why Reçois and Reçu Take "ç"

In French, the letter c followed by o or u naturally produces a hard /k/ sound (like in café or coq). Because recevoir stems from the soft /s/ sound, French grammar requires a cedilla (ç) whenever the letter is followed by o or u:

  • Before o: je reçois, nous recevrons (no cedilla here, since "e" follows)
  • Before u: j'ai reçu (past participle)
  • Before e or i: standard c (recevoir, recevons, receviez)

This pattern also governs related verbs: apercevoir (to catch sight of), décevoir (to disappoint), and concevoir (to design/conceive).

2. Indicative Tenses

Present Tense (Présent)

Notice the boot-pattern stem change: the singular forms and the third-person plural use reçoiv- / reçoi-, whereas nous and vous preserve recev-.

Imperfect (Imparfait)

Subject Pronoun Conjugation English Equivalent
:--- :--- :---
Je reçois I receive / I am receiving
Tu reçois You receive (informal)
Il / Elle / On reçoit He / She / One receives
Nous recevons We receive
Vous recevez You receive (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles reçoivent They receive

For ongoing or habitual actions in the past, take the nous stem of the present indicative (recev-) and add standard imperfect endings:

  • Je recevais (I used to receive)
  • Tu recevais
  • Il / Elle recevait
  • Nous recevions
  • Vous receviez
  • Ils / Elles recevaient

    • Simple Future (Futur simple)

The future stem contracts to recevr-:

  • Je recevrai (I will receive)
  • Tu recevras
  • Il / Elle recevra
  • Nous recevrons
  • Vous recevrez
  • Ils / Elles recevront

    • Present Conditional (Conditionnel présent)

Using the future stem recevr- plus imperfect endings:

  • Je recevrais (I would receive)
  • Tu recevrais
  • Il / Elle recevrait
  • Nous recevrions
  • Vous recevriez
  • Ils / Elles recevraient

    • 3. Subjunctive & Imperative Moods

    Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif présent)

Used after expressions of necessity, emotion, or doubt:

  • Que je reçoive
  • Que tu reçoives
  • Qu'il / elle reçoive
  • Que nous recevions
  • Que vous receviez
  • Qu'ils / elles reçoivent

    • Imperative (Impératif)

Used for commands or recommendations:

  • Reçois ! (Receive! - tu)
  • Recevons ! (Let's receive! - nous)
  • Recevez ! (Receive! - vous)

    • 4. Compound Tenses (Passé Composé & Beyond)

Recevoir takes the auxiliary verb avoir. The past participle is reçu.

  • Passé Composé:
  • J'ai reçu mon colis ce matin. (I received my package this morning.)
  • Nous avons reçu d'excellentes nouvelles. (We received great news.)
  • Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait):
  • J'avais reçu (I had received)
  • Past Conditional (Conditionnel passé):
  • J'aurais reçu (I would have received)

Agreement Warning: As with all verbs taking avoir, the past participle agrees in gender and number only if the direct object precedes the verb: > « La lettre que j'ai reçue était courte. » (The letter [fem. sing.] that I received was short).

5. Common Meanings and Collocations

1. To get mail, packages, or data:

  • « Tu as reçu mon e-mail ? » (Did you get my email?)

2. To host guests:

  • « Nous aimons recevoir chez nous le week-end. » (We love hosting at our place on weekends.)

3. To see a professional:

  • « Le médecin vous recevra à 14h. » (The doctor will see you at 2 PM.)

Keep this guide bookmarked on my-french.com for quick reference whenever you write or speak French!