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apercevoir

to notice, catch sight of

verb ah-pehr-suh-VWAR Less Common
Body & Health Senses

Also means

to realize, become aware of

Usage Note

Apercevoir is used for catching a brief or partial glimpse of something or someone. The reflexive s'apercevoir de means 'to realize, to become aware of': je me suis aperçu de mon erreur ('I realized my mistake'). It is conjugated like recevoir.

Examples

"J'ai aperçu quelqu'un dans l'ombre."

Natural Translation

I caught sight of someone in the shadow.

Literal Translation

I-have caught-sight-of someone in the shadow

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