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ravoir

to get back, to recover (something)

verb rah-VWAR Rare
People & Society

Usage Note

Ravoir is a defective verb used almost exclusively in the infinitive, mostly in informal speech: tu peux pas ravoir ça (you can't get that back). Conjugated forms are felt as non-standard, so in formal writing speakers use récupérer instead.

Examples

"Je voudrais ravoir mon livre, si possible."

Natural Translation

I would like to get my book back, if possible.

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