French · Everyday Verbs
"to give" in French: donner
donner
To give in French is donner. Say je donne and tu donnes. Use donner quelque chose à quelqu'un. A gift can be un cadeau that tu donnes.
Handing keys
Je te donne les clés de l'appart.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce donner
Say it
doh-NAY
/dɔ.ne/
doh-NAY. Clear open o; stress on nay. Je donne is zhuh dun.
"to give" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| donner | to give Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| je donne | I give First person. | First person. |
| donner à | to give to Recipient with à. | Recipient with à. |
| donner un cadeau | to give a gift Presents. | Presents. |
How to use donner in real life
- 1Handing keys
Je te donne les clés de l'appart.
I'm giving you the apartment keys.
Je donne.
- 2Birthday
On lui donne un livre demain.
We're giving her a book tomorrow.
On donne.
- 3Sharing food
Tu me donnes un peu de pain ?
Will you give me a bit of bread?
Tu donnes.
Mistakes English speakers make with donner
Incorrect: Je donner un cadeau.
Correct: Je donne un cadeau.
Conjugate: je donne.
Incorrect: Je donne à toi le livre.
Correct: Je te donne le livre.
Use object pronoun te before the verb.
Good to know
Donner covers physical giving and abstract offers (donner un conseil). At birthdays, on offre or on donne un cadeau both work; offrir can sound a bit more gift-focused.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Passing dishes at the table
ChatPal
Tu me donnes le sel ?
Will you give me the salt?
You
Oui, je te donne le sel et le poivre.
Yes, I'm giving you the salt and pepper.
ChatPal
Merci. Je te donne aussi de l'eau.
Thanks. I'll give you water too.
You
Parfait.
Perfect.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to give" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to give" in French
How do you say to give?
Donner.
How do I say I give?
Je donne.
How do I mark the person receiving?
Donner quelque chose à quelqu'un, or use te/lui.
Is offrir better for gifts?
Both work; offrir is gift-leaning.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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