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FRENCH VERB

apercevoir

to catch sight of

  • #437 most used
  • Irregular -ir verb
  • Past participle: aperçu
  • Present participle: apercevant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I catch sight of
  2. tu you catch sight of
  3. il, elle, on he/she catches sight of
  4. nous we catch sight of
  5. vous you catch sight of
  6. ils, elles they catch sight of

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I caught sight of
  2. tu you caught sight of
  3. il, elle, on he/she caught sight of
  4. nous we caught sight of
  5. vous you caught sight of
  6. ils, elles they caught sight of

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to catch sight of
  2. tu you used to catch sight of
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to catch sight of
  4. nous we used to catch sight of
  5. vous you used to catch sight of
  6. ils, elles they used to catch sight of

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will catch sight of
  2. tu you will catch sight of
  3. il, elle, on he/she will catch sight of
  4. nous we will catch sight of
  5. vous you will catch sight of
  6. ils, elles they will catch sight of

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would catch sight of
  2. tu you would catch sight of
  3. il, elle, on he/she would catch sight of
  4. nous we would catch sight of
  5. vous you would catch sight of
  6. ils, elles they would catch sight of

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I catch sight of
  2. tu (that) you catch sight of
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she catch sight of
  4. nous (that) we catch sight of
  5. vous (that) you catch sight of
  6. ils, elles (that) they catch sight of

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu catch sight of!
  2. nous catch sight of! (let’s)
  3. vous catch sight of! (plural, or formal)

How to use apercevoir

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Du balcon, on aperçoit la mer entre deux immeubles.

    From the balcony you can glimpse the sea between two buildings.

  2. Past

    J'ai aperçu Thomas au marché, il n'a pas l'air bien.

    I caught sight of Thomas at the market, he doesn't look well.

  3. Imperfect

    On apercevait déjà les lumières du village.

    We could already see the village lights.

  4. Future

    Tu apercevras le château juste après le virage.

    You'll catch sight of the castle just after the bend.

  5. Conditional

    Par temps clair, on apercevrait la Corse d'ici.

    On a clear day you could see Corsica from here.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Partons avant qu'il nous aperçoive.

    Let's leave before he spots us.

  7. Imperative

    Apercevez les dauphins depuis le pont, c'est le moment !

    Catch sight of the dolphins from the deck, now's the time!

Good to know

  • S'apercevoir de quelque chose is to notice, to realise : je me suis aperçu de mon erreur.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ir verb.