FrenchConjugationAll tenses
Donner (to give) · All tenses
By TutorLily Editorial Team
Donner means 'to give' — a regular -er verb following the parler pattern. Powers many idioms: 'donner envie' (to make someone want), 'donner sur' (to overlook/face), 'donner un coup de main' (to give a hand). French equivalent of Spanish 'dar'.
Conjugation
donner · Présent
I give...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I give | je donne |
| you give | tu donnes |
| he/she gives | il/elle/on donne |
| we give | nous donnons |
| you give | vous donnez |
| they give | ils/elles donnent |
Conjugation
donner · Passé Composé
I gave, I have given...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I gave | j'ai donné |
| you gave | tu as donné |
| he/she gave | il/elle/on a donné |
| we gave | nous avons donné |
| you gave | vous avez donné |
| they gave | ils/elles ont donné |
Conjugation
donner · Imparfait
I used to give...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I used to give | je donnais |
| you used to give | tu donnais |
| he/she used to give | il/elle/on donnait |
| we used to give | nous donnions |
| you used to give | vous donniez |
| they used to give | ils/elles donnaient |
Conjugation
donner · Subjonctif Présent
(that) I give...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I give | je donne |
| you give | tu donnes |
| he/she give | il/elle/on donne |
| we give | nous donnions |
| you give | vous donniez |
| they give | ils/elles donnent |
Conjugation
donner · Futur Simple
I will give...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I will give | je donnerai |
| you will give | tu donneras |
| he/she will give | il/elle/on donnera |
| we will give | nous donnerons |
| you will give | vous donnerez |
| they will give | ils/elles donneront |
Conjugation
donner · Conditionnel Présent
I would give...
| To Give | Donner |
|---|---|
| I would give | je donnerais |
| you would give | tu donnerais |
| he/she would give | il/elle/on donnerait |
| we would give | nous donnerions |
| you would give | vous donneriez |
| they would give | ils/elles donneraient |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate donner in the present tense?
Donner in the present is: je donne, tu donnes, il/elle/on donne, nous donnons, vous donnez, ils/elles donnent. Regular -er verb following the parler pattern exactly. The double 'n' in the stem 'donn-' is preserved through all forms.
What does 'donner envie' mean?
'Donner envie + de + infinitive' = 'to make someone want to + verb': 'ça me donne envie de voyager' (that makes me want to travel), 'ça donne envie de pleurer' (it makes you want to cry). The structure inverts English causation: French treats the cause as the subject ('it gives me the desire to...'). Very common conversational structure for describing reactions or evocative things.
What does 'donner sur' mean?
'Donner sur' (literally 'to give onto') means 'to face' or 'to overlook' — used for windows, balconies, rooms: 'ma chambre donne sur le jardin' (my room overlooks the garden), 'le balcon donne sur la mer' (the balcony faces the sea). Standard French expression for describing the view from a space.
How do you form the passé composé of donner?
Use avoir + the past participle 'donné' (drop -er, add -é): j'ai donné, tu as donné, il a donné, nous avons donné, vous avez donné, ils ont donné. Standard regular -er pattern.
Does 'donné' agree with a direct object?
Since donner takes avoir, 'donné' is invariable in standard cases. Exception: a preceding direct object triggers agreement ('la fleur que je lui ai donnée' = the flower I gave him — feminine singular). The avoir-verb rule applies here.
When do I use 'j'ai donné' instead of 'je donnais'?
Use 'j'ai donné' for a specific completed giving: 'hier, je lui ai donné un livre' (yesterday, I gave him a book). Use 'je donnais' for habitual past giving: 'chaque année, je donnais à la même charité' (every year, I used to give to the same charity).
How do you conjugate donner in the imparfait?
Donner is regular in the imparfait: je donnais, tu donnais, il/elle/on donnait, nous donnions, vous donniez, ils/elles donnaient. Stem 'donn-' from nous form.
When do I use 'je donnais' instead of 'j'ai donné'?
Use 'je donnais' for habitual or repeated past giving: 'chaque dimanche, je donnais à l'église' (every Sunday, I used to give to the church). Use 'j'ai donné' for one-time completed giving: 'dimanche, j'ai donné à l'église' (on Sunday, I gave to the church).
What does 'ça donnait' mean?
'Ça donnait' (literally 'that was giving') is often used to describe an effect: 'ça donnait quelque chose de bizarre' (it produced something strange / it came out strange). Common in descriptions of outcomes, especially after creative work, attempts, or experiments.
How do you conjugate donner in the subjonctif?
The subjonctif of donner is: que je donne, que tu donnes, qu'il donne, que nous donnions, que vous donniez, qu'ils donnent. Singular + ils are identical to the indicative; only nous/vous shift to '-ions/-iez'. Standard -er-verb subjonctif pattern.
When do I need to use the subjonctif of donner?
Use it after triggers of necessity, will, doubt, or time: 'il faut que je donne' (I need to give), 'je veux qu'il donne' (I want him to give), 'avant que tu donnes' (before you give).
How do I tell subjonctif 'donne' from indicative 'donne'?
You can't — they're identical in form and sound. Context disambiguates: subjonctif appears in 'que' clauses after triggers like 'il faut que'; indicative makes direct statements. This identity-collapse is true for every regular -er verb.
How do you conjugate donner in the futur?
The futur of donner is regular: je donnerai, tu donneras, il/elle/on donnera, nous donnerons, vous donnerez, ils/elles donneront. Full infinitive 'donner' as stem + future endings.
When do I use 'je donnerai' instead of 'je vais donner'?
Both express future giving. 'Je donnerai' (futur simple) feels slightly more formal or further in time. 'Je vais donner' (futur proche) is more conversational for near-term plans.
What does 'ça donnera quoi?' mean?
'Ça donnera quoi?' (literally 'that will give what?') idiomatically means 'what will it produce?' or 'how will it turn out?'. Used to ask about future outcomes: 'on va essayer cette recette — ça donnera quoi?' (we're going to try this recipe — how will it turn out?).
How do you conjugate donner in the conditionnel?
The conditionnel of donner is: je donnerais, tu donnerais, il/elle/on donnerait, nous donnerions, vous donneriez, ils/elles donneraient. Same full-infinitive stem as the futur, plus imperfect endings.
What does 'tu me donnerais ton avis?' mean?
'Tu me donnerais ton avis?' = 'Would you give me your opinion?' — a polite way to ask for input. The conditional 'donnerais' (rather than indicative 'donnes') softens the request from direct to polite. Equivalent: 'pourrais-tu me donner ton avis?'.
What's the expression 'je donnerais cher pour'?
'Je donnerais cher pour + infinitive/noun' literally means 'I would give dearly for' and idiomatically means 'I'd give anything to/for': 'je donnerais cher pour savoir' (I'd give anything to know), 'je donnerais cher pour un café' (I'd kill for a coffee). Common French hyperbole for expressing strong desire.
Practice Donner (To Give) in real conversations
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