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reconnaître

to recognize

verb reh-koh-NEH-truh Common
Mind & Emotions Mental States

Also means

to acknowledge

Usage Note

Reconnaître covers both visual recognition ('I recognize her face') and acknowledgment of a fact or mistake ('Il reconnaît son erreur'). It is conjugated like connaître — an irregular verb with a circumflex on the î before t in the infinitive (in traditional orthography). The noun form reconnaissance means both 'recognition' and 'gratitude'.

Examples

"Je reconnais cette chanson."

Natural Translation

I recognize that song.

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