il donna

gave

→ il
phrase Rare #27,520
gave Simple past of donner. Used in formal or written French; in everyday speech, people usually say il a donné.
FR: Il donna son livre à son ami.
EN: He gave his book to his friend.

Il donna un pourboire en signe de gratitude.

He tipped as a token of gratitude.

Il donna un cours de littérature à notre classe.

He gave a literature lesson to our class.

La raison qu'il donna est difficile à comprendre.

The reason he gave is difficult to understand.

Il donna du lait au chat.

He gave the cat milk.

Il donna une explication à son absence.

He gave an explanation for his absence.

Il donna un os au chien.

He gave the dog a bone.

Il donna libre cours à ses sentiments.

He gave free rein to his feelings.

Il donna une nouvelle vie à cette planète.

He gave new life to this planet.

— Bugonia (2025)

Il donna un poste important à Tom.

He gave Tom an important position.

Il donna tout son argent aux œuvres de charité.

He gave all his money to charity.

Il donna brièvement ses raisons.

He briefly gave his reasons.

Il donna une série de cours sur la littérature japonaise à l'UCLA.

He gave a series of lectures on Japanese literature at UCLA.