recevrais

Recevrais is the conditional present form of the French verb recevoir, used with subjects je or tu. It expresses a hypothetical or contingent action, or a polite request in certain contexts. The form is part of the broader system of conditionnel present in French, which describes what would happen under a given condition.

Morphology and forms

The conditional present uses the future stem recevr- plus the usual -ais endings for je and tu: je recevrais, tu recevrais. For the other persons it is il recevrait, nous recevrions, vous recevriez, ils recevraient. The stem recevr- comes from the irregular future of recevoir, which in turn derives from the Latin recipere. The spelling of recevrais reflects the standard pronunciation of the stem plus endings, without an extra root vowel.

Usage

Recevrais is used to discuss hypothetical outcomes: Si j'avais le temps, je recevrais ta lettre demain. It also appears in clause-initial or dependent contexts to express what someone would obtain or receive under certain conditions. The conditional present can also soften requests or offers: Recevrais-tu mon aide pour ce projet? Je recevrais volontiers votre aide. In practice, it often coexists with si-imparfait combinations to frame a conditional consequence.

Etymology and related forms

Recevoir comes from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere. Related forms include the other conditional persons: je recevrais, il recevrait, nous recevrions, vous recevriez, ils recevraient, all built on the same recevr- stem.

See also: recevoir, conditionnel, conjugation patterns.