Reconnaître

Reconnaître is a French verb that primarily means to recognize, identify, or acknowledge someone or something. Etymologically, it comes from Latin recognoscere, a combination of re- and cognoscere, and it shares its core sense with words like recognition or reconnoiter in related languages. It is an irregular -re verb and is often used with direct objects or in reflexive form.

In its primary sense, reconnaître denotes identifying or remembering a person, object, or fact. Examples include reconnaître un visage, reconnaître une rue ou reconnaître une erreur. It can also mean to admit or acknowledge something, such as reconnaître ses torts, reconnaître une faute, or reconnaître une réalité. In legal or official contexts, it can mean to grant status or rights, for example reconnaître un enfant (paternity), reconnaître un État, or reconnaître une dette.

Se reconnaître is the reflexive form and can mean recognizing each other (Ils se reconnaissent après des années) or admitting something about oneself (se reconnaître coupable). The verb also appears in the noun reconnaissance, which can refer to the act of recognizing or acknowledging, as well as a reconnaissance mission in military or exploratory contexts.

Conjugation is irregular. In the present indicative: je reconnais, tu reconnais, il reconnaît, nous reconnaissons, vous reconnaissez, ils reconnaissent. The past participle is reconnu, used with auxiliary être or avoir in compound tenses. Related verbs include reconnaître et la reconnaissance (noun), ainsi que méconnaître, which means to misrecognize or fail to recognize.

Synonyms include identifier, distinguer, avouer, admettre, and accorder in appropriate contexts; antonym: ignorer.