Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Introduction to the verb donner
The English translation of the French verb “donner” is “to give.” The infinitive form “donner” is pronounced as “do-nay.”
The verb “donner” comes from the Latin word “donare,” meaning “to give as a gift.” In everyday French, “donner” is commonly used in the imparfait tense, which is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Three examples of the usage of “donner” in the imparfait tense with their English translations are:
- Je lui donnais des conseils tous les jours. (I used to give him/her advice every day.)
- Les enfants nous donnaient des fleurs pour notre anniversaire. (The children used to give us flowers for our birthday.)
- Tu me donnais toujours un coup de main quand j’en avais besoin. (You always used to give me a helping hand when I needed it.)
In these examples, the imparfait tense is used to describe actions that were happening repeatedly or ongoing in the past.
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of donner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | donnais | Je donnais des cadeaux. | I was giving gifts. |
tu | donnais | Tu donnais ton avis. | You were giving your opinion. |
il | donnait | Il donnait de l’argent. | He was giving money. |
elle | donnait | Elle donnait des conseils. | She was giving advice. |
on | donnait | On donnait des instructions. | We were giving instructions. |
nous | donnions | Nous donnions notre soutien. | We were giving our support. |
vous | donniez | Vous donniez des réponses. | You were giving answers. |
ils | donnaient | Ils donnaient des cadeaux. | They were giving gifts. |
elles | donnaient | Elles donnaient des conseils. | They were giving advice. |
Other Conjugations for Donner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
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Donner – About the French Imparfait Tense
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Formation of the Imparfait Tense
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
Mental and Emotional States
It’s employed to express emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations in the past. For example: “J’étais content quand il est arrivé.” (I was happy when he arrived.)
Ongoing Actions
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb donner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!