Apercevoir (en. To notice)

/a.pɛʁ.sə.vwaʁ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

To grasp lightly by sight.

I caught sight of a bird on the branch.

J'ai aperçu un oiseau sur la branche.

To guess or understand weakly.

He caught an idea in his mind.

Il a aperçu une idée dans son esprit.

To see something from a distance.

We glimpsed the mountain in the distance.

Nous avons aperçu la montagne au loin.

From Old French 'apercever', which comes from Latin 'adpercipere'.

to catch a glimpse out of the corner of the eye

To see quickly without paying attention.

apercevoir du coin de l'œil

to notice a clue

To notice a small indicative detail.

apercevoir un indice

to perceive the truth

To slightly understand a situation.

apercevoir la vérité

perceive

To be aware of something through the senses.

percevoir

glimpse

A quick or incomplete view of something.

aperçu

reception

The act of receiving or welcoming something.

réception

To catch out of the corner of the eye.

I caught sight of something strange.

J'ai aperçu un truc bizarre.

To see quickly.

I noticed him while passing by.

Je l'ai aperçu en passant.