Passé Simple (Simple Past) 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 “doh-nay”.
The verb “donner” has a Latin origin, derived from the word “donare”, meaning “to give as a gift”. In everyday French, the passé simple tense (simple past) is mostly used in formal writing, literature, and storytelling.
Here are three examples of “donner” in the passé simple tense with their respective English translations:
- Il donna son livre à son ami. (He gave his book to his friend.)
- Elle donna une conférence sur l’art moderne. (She gave a lecture on modern art.)
- Ils donnèrent tout leur argent aux œuvres caritatives. (They gave all their money to charitable organizations.)
Table of the Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of donner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Je | donnai | Je donnai une fleur à ma mère. | I gave a flower to my mother. |
Tu | donnas | Tu donnas ton livre à ton ami. | You gave your book to your friend. |
Il | donna | Il donna la clé à son voisin. | He gave the key to his neighbor. |
Elle | donna | Elle donna un cadeau à sa sœur. | She gave a gift to her sister. |
On | donna | On donna une leçon à l’élève. | One gave a lesson to the student. |
Nous | donnâmes | Nous donnâmes de l’argent aux pauvres. | We gave money to the poor. |
Vous | donnâtes | Vous donnâtes un conseil à votre collègue. | You gave advice to your colleague. |
Ils | donnèrent | Ils donnèrent des bonbons aux enfants. | They gave candies to the children. |
Elles | donnèrent | Elles donnèrent des fleurs à leur professeur. | They (feminine) gave flowers to their teacher. |
Other Conjugations for Donner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner (You’re reading it right now!)
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 Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense
Formation
Usage
Narration
Historical Context
Interactions with other tenses
Passé Composé
Imparfait
Conditional and Subjunctive
Summary
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