Donner is undoubtedly the most common and straightforward way to say 'to give' in French. But, just like in English, there are many nuanced ways to express the act of giving, depending on the context, the type of gift, or the intention behind it. Mastering these variations will not only enrich your vocabulary but also help you sound more natural and precise in your French conversations. Ready to expand your linguistic generosity? Let's explore 9 different ways to say 'to give' in French!

The standard 'to give' – donner

The standard 'to give' – donner

Donner is the most common and versatile French verb for 'to give'.

As a regular -er verb, donner follows predictable conjugation patterns, making it relatively easy to learn. You'll conjugate it like parler or aimer.

Its primary use is to express the physical act of handing something over to someone, or simply passing something on.

Beyond physical actions, donner extends to abstract concepts, meaning 'to provide,' 'to offer,' 'to impart,' or even 'to cause' something.

You'll frequently encounter donner in various idiomatic expressions that enrich the French language, such as donner un coup de main (to give a hand/help) or donner son avis (to give one's opinion).

Typically, donner is a transitive verb, often taking both a direct object (what is given) and an indirect object (to whom it is given), often introduced by à (to).

In compound tenses like the passé composé, donner uses the auxiliary verb avoir and its past participle is donné.

While donner is broad, remember that offrir is specifically used for giving gifts or offering hospitality, carrying a more personal or ceremonial nuance. Donner is more general.

Its versatility makes donner an indispensable verb for expressing a wide range of actions related to giving, offering, and providing in French.

💡 * Je te donne mon livre. (I'm giving you my book.)

• Elle a donné des conseils à son ami. (She gave advice to her friend.)
• Ça donne envie de voyager. (That makes you want to travel./That gives the desire to travel.)
• Le soleil donne une belle lumière. (The sun gives a beautiful light.)
• Peux-tu me donner ton adresse, s'il te plaît ? (Can you give me your address, please?)

To give a gift, to offer – offrir

When you want to express the act of giving a gift or making an offer in French, the verb you'll reach for is offrir.

Offrir directly translates to 'to offer' or 'to give (a gift)'. It implies a voluntary act of presenting something, often with a sense of generosity or occasion, distinguishing it from simply 'giving' (which is donner).

This verb is conjugated like other verbs ending in -frir or -vrir, such as ouvrir (to open) and souffrir (to suffer). It's an irregular verb, but its pattern is consistent within this small group.

When using offrir, the item being given is the direct object, and the person to whom it's given is the indirect object, introduced by the preposition à (to/for).

You'll frequently hear offrir in contexts like birthdays, holidays, or any situation where one person presents something special to another. It can also be used for offering services or opportunities.

While both offrir and donner mean 'to give', offrir carries the specific nuance of 'to give a gift' or 'to offer something' (like a drink, a seat, or an opportunity), whereas donner is more general for simply handing something over or providing it.

💡 * Je t'offre un cadeau pour ton anniversaire. (I'm offering you a gift for your birthday.)* Elle m'a offert des fleurs. (She offered me flowers.)* Nous vous offrons une boisson. (We are offering you a drink.)* Ils ont offert leur aide. (They offered their help.)* Qu'est-ce que tu vas offrir à tes parents pour Noël ? (What are you going to give your parents for Christmas?)

To hand over, to deliver (often formally) – remettre

When you need to express the idea of 'to hand over' or 'to deliver' in French, especially in a more formal or official context, the verb remettre is often the most appropriate choice.

While donner (to give) can be used broadly, remettre carries a nuance of formality, responsibility, or the completion of a task. Think of it as 'submitting' or 'presenting' something.

A very common use of remettre is for handing over documents, reports, keys, or important items. It implies an act of official transfer or submission.

It can also mean 'to deliver' something to someone, or even 'to return' something to its proper place or owner, especially if it's an item that was borrowed or misplaced.

Unlike the general 'to give' of donner, remettre often implies that the item is being given back, or given to a specific person for a specific purpose, often with an expectation of receipt or acknowledgment.

Remettre is conjugated like mettre (to put/place), meaning it's an irregular verb. For example, in the present tense: je remets, tu remets, il/elle/on remet, nous remettons, vous remettez, ils/elles remettent.

In summary, remember remettre for situations where you are formally handing over, submitting, or delivering something, adding a touch of precision and often formality to your French.

💡 *Je dois remettre mon rapport avant vendredi. (I must hand in my report before Friday.)
*Le facteur a remis le colis au voisin. (The postman delivered the package to the neighbor.)
*Veuillez remettre ce document au directeur. (Please hand over this document to the director.)
*J'ai remis les clés au propriétaire. (I handed over the keys to the landlord.)

To grant, to bestow (e.g., a right, a permission) – accorder

The verb accorder primarily means "to grant," "to bestow," or "to concede" in French. It implies giving something, often formally or officially, that was requested or deserved.

It is commonly used when speaking of granting abstract concepts such as droits (rights), permissions (permissions), autorisations (authorizations), privilèges (privileges), or even confiance (trust).

Accorder often carries a more formal or official tone than simply "to give." It's frequently encountered in legal, administrative, or diplomatic contexts, signifying a deliberate act of granting.

💡 * Le gouvernement a accordé de nouveaux droits aux citoyens. (The government granted new rights to citizens.)

• Elle m'a accordé sa permission de partir. (She granted me her permission to leave.)
• Le juge a accordé le sursis au condamné. (The judge granted the reprieve to the convicted person.)
• Nous vous accordons notre pleine confiance. (We grant you our full trust.)
• La banque lui a accordé un prêt. (The bank granted him a loan.)

To give up, to yield, to cede – céder

The verb céder in French is a versatile term that translates primarily to “to give up,” “to yield,” or “to cede.” It's a regular -er verb.

One of its core uses is to express the act of surrendering, giving in, or yielding to pressure, an argument, or a force. It implies a relinquishment of resistance or control, often in a metaphorical sense.

It can also mean to transfer or cede something, like property, rights, or territory, to another party. This usage is more formal and often involves legal or administrative contexts, signifying a formal handover.

Céder can be used both transitively (e.g., céder sa place - to give up one's seat) and intransitively (e.g., ne pas céder à la panique - not to yield to panic), making its application broad depending on the context.

You'll often hear phrases like céder du terrain (to lose ground, to give way) or céder à la tentation (to give in to temptation), highlighting its idiomatic uses in everyday French.

💡 *Il a cédé sa place à une personne âgée. (He gave up his seat to an elderly person.)
*Le gouvernement n'a pas cédé aux exigences des manifestants. (The government did not yield to the protesters' demands.)
*La France a cédé ce territoire en 1803. (France ceded this territory in 1803.)
*Ne cède jamais à la peur. (Never give in to fear.)
*Le vieux pont a cédé sous le poids du camion. (The old bridge gave way under the weight of the truck.)

To distribute, to hand out – distribuer

The French verb distribuer primarily means "to distribute," "to hand out," or "to deal" (as in cards). It's a versatile verb used in various contexts, from physical objects to abstract concepts.

You'll frequently encounter distribuer when talking about handing out physical items. This can include anything from mail and flyers to cards in a game, or even gifts and supplies to a group of people.

Beyond physical objects, distribuer is also used for the allocation of non-tangible things. This includes distributing tasks, roles in a play or project, responsibilities, information, or even grades and punishments.

As a regular -er verb, distribuer follows a predictable conjugation pattern, making it relatively easy to learn. It's often used in the present tense, passé composé, and future tense to describe ongoing, completed, or upcoming acts of distribution.

The corresponding noun is la distribution, which means "the distribution" itself. It can also refer to the "cast" of a play or film, or even the "delivery" of mail or services.

💡 * Le facteur distribue le courrier tous les matins. (The mail carrier distributes the mail every morning.)

• Nous allons distribuer des flyers pour l'événement. (We are going to hand out flyers for the event.)
• Le professeur a distribué les copies aux élèves. (The teacher handed out the papers to the students.)
• Il faut bien distribuer les tâches au sein de l'équipe. (We need to properly distribute the tasks within the team.)
• La distribution des rôles est essentielle pour le succès de la pièce. (The distribution of roles is essential for the success of the play.)

To provide, to supply – fournir

The French verb fournir directly translates to to provide or to supply in English. It's a versatile verb used in various contexts to indicate making something available or delivering it.

You'll encounter fournir when talking about providing goods, services, information, or even effort. It emphasizes the act of making something available for use or consumption.

Fournir is a regular -IR verb, making its conjugation predictable. It often follows the structure fournir quelque chose à quelqu'un (to provide something to someone).

💡 * L'entreprise fournit des matériaux de construction. (The company supplies construction materials.)

• Nous devons fournir toutes les informations nécessaires. (We must provide all the necessary information.)
• Le professeur a fourni des notes supplémentaires aux étudiants. (The professor provided additional notes to the students.)
• Ce restaurant fournit un excellent service. (This restaurant provides excellent service.)
• Ils ont fourni un effort considérable pour terminer le projet. (They provided a considerable effort to finish the project.)

To give back, to return – rendre

The French verb rendre primarily translates to 'to give back' or 'to return' something. This is the go-to verb when you are returning an object, a favor, or even a feeling to its source.

It's crucial to distinguish rendre from other 'return' verbs like rentrer (to return home) or revenir (to come back). Rendre is specifically used for transitive actions – meaning it takes a direct object. You render a book, a service, or a visit.

Rendre is also essential for several common idiomatic expressions. Two prominent ones are rendre service à quelqu'un (to do someone a favor) and rendre visite à quelqu'un (to visit someone), showing its versatility beyond simple object returns.

As a regular -RE verb, rendre follows a consistent conjugation pattern, making it relatively straightforward to learn. For example, in the present tense, it conjugates as je rends, tu rends, il/elle rend, nous rendons, vous rendez, ils/elles rendent.

💡 * Je dois rendre le livre à la bibliothèque. (I have to return the book to the library.)

• Il m'a rendu mon stylo. (He gave me back my pen.)
• Pouvez-vous me rendre un service ? (Can you do me a favor?)
• Nous allons rendre visite à nos grands-parents ce week-end. (We are going to visit our grandparents this weekend.)

To deliver, to issue (e.g., a document, a message) – délivrer

The verb délivrer is a versatile French verb that primarily means “to deliver” or “to issue.” It’s often used in contexts where something official, abstract, or a message is being transmitted.

One of the most common uses of délivrer is for documents, certificates, permits, or official papers. Think of it as the act of formally handing over or making something available.

Délivrer can also be used when conveying a message, a warning, or even a speech. In these cases, it signifies the act of imparting information or a warning to someone.

It's crucial to distinguish délivrer from livrer. While both can translate to “to deliver,” livrer is specifically used for delivering physical goods, packages, or food. Délivrer is not typically used for physical items being transported.

Délivrer is a regular -ER verb, which means its conjugation follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ER. For example, in the present tense: je délivre, tu délivres, il/elle délivre, nous délivrons, vous délivrez, ils/elles délivrent.

💡 *La mairie va délivrer mon passeport la semaine prochaine. (The town hall will issue my passport next week.)
*Le médecin a délivré une ordonnance. (The doctor issued a prescription.)
*Il faut délivrer ce message important. (This important message must be delivered.)
*L'université délivre des diplômes chaque année. (The university issues diplomas every year.)
*Le juge a délivré un mandat d'arrêt. (The judge issued an arrest warrant.)

Are there other ways to say 'to give' in French?

Are there other ways to say “to give” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “to give” in French. However, the French language is rich with nuances, offering other terms, from more formal expressions to regional variations and even contemporary slang that might not be covered here.

You can also do an online search for “comment dire donner en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region, or 'synonymes de donner'.

You might find some interesting synonyms for donner during your research. Of course, always make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you incorporate it into your vocabulary.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different verbs and expressions that convey the idea of giving.

And if you’re looking for more nuanced ways to express 'to give' or related concepts, the WordReference entry for donner is an excellent place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful in exploring the verb donner and its alternatives. To conclude, here's a simple yet profound thought: Donner, c'est recevoir. (To give is to receive.)