donner at A1 — the present tense
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Giving needs two things in French: what, and to whom.
Giving things
« donner » is a plain regular -ER verb. The pattern to learn with it is donner quelque chose à quelqu’un — the thing comes first, the person second, and the person always arrives behind à: « je donne le livre à Marie ».
English lets you say “I give Marie the book”, with no preposition. French never does. If a person is receiving, à must be there.
💡 Focus at this level: Basics — giving something to someone
👨🏫 How to use « donner » at this level
1. Thing first, person second. « Je donne un cadeau à mon frère. »
2. The « à » is not optional. Leaving it out is the single most common beginner error with this verb.
3. Learn « donne-moi ». The imperative with a pronoun is everyday French.
🎮 Practise « donner »
Play the free French games → · Back to the full « donner » chart →