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FRENCH VERB

reconnaître

to recognise

  • #211 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: reconnu
  • Present participle: reconnaissant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use reconnaître

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

  1. Present

    Je ne te reconnais pas avec cette barbe !

    I don't recognise you with that beard!

  2. Past

    Elle m'a reconnu tout de suite, après vingt ans.

    She recognised me straight away, after twenty years.

  3. Imperfect

    Il ne reconnaissait plus son quartier d'enfance.

    He no longer recognised his childhood neighbourhood.

  4. Future

    Vous reconnaîtrez facilement la maison, elle est bleue.

    You'll easily recognise the house, it's blue.

  5. Conditional

    Je ne le reconnaîtrais pas dans la rue.

    I wouldn't recognise him in the street.

  6. Present subjunctive

    J'aimerais qu'il reconnaisse enfin son erreur.

    I'd like him to finally admit his mistake.

  7. Imperative

    Reconnais-le, tu t'es trompé de route.

    Admit it, you took the wrong road.

Good to know

  • Reconnaître goes like connaître. Je reconnais is also I admit : je reconnais que j'ai eu tort.

Verbs like this one

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