French Phrase
Tu peux me donner une serviette ?
Meaning
A casual request meaning ‘Can you give me a napkin (or towel)?’ The speaker uses the informal ‘tu’, so it’s appropriate with people they know well or in relaxed settings such as a family dinner or a friendly café.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are speaking informally with someone you address as ‘tu’. In a restaurant you would normally add ‘s’il te plaît’ for extra politeness, and in a formal context you would switch to ‘Vous pouvez me donner une serviette ?’.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tupeuxmedonneruneserviette?
Tu (subject pronoun)
Informal singular 'you' used with friends, family, or peers.
peux (pouvoir, present)
The verb pouvoir means 'can' or 'to be able to'; it is conjugated as 'peux' with the subject 'tu'.
me (indirect object pronoun)
Stands for 'to me' and must precede the infinitive after a conjugated verb.
donner (infinitive)
The main verb stays in the infinitive after a modal verb like pouvoir.
une serviette (indefinite article + noun)
‘Serviette’ is feminine; the indefinite article ‘une’ matches its gender.
Question mark
In spoken French the intonation rises at the end; written French simply adds ‘?’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu peux me donner une serviette, s'il te plaît ?
Can you give me a napkin, please?
Bien sûr, la voici.
Sure, here it is.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu peux me donne une serviette ?
After ‘peux’, the verb must stay in the infinitive form ‘donner’, not the conjugated ‘donne’.
Tu pouvoir me donner une serviette ?
Do not use the infinitive ‘pouvoir’ after the subject; you need the conjugated form ‘peux’.
Tu peux me donner une serviette.
Missing the question mark or rising intonation makes it sound like a statement rather than a request.
↔Alternatives
Donne-moi une serviette, s'il te plaît.
Give me a napkin, please.
Est-ce que tu pourrais me passer une serviette ?
Could you pass me a napkin?
Vous pouvez me donner une serviette, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you give me a napkin, please? (formal)
Cultural Tip
In French ‘serviette’ can mean either a napkin or a towel; the context tells you which. In a restaurant it always refers to a napkin. Adding ‘s’il te plaît’ (informal) or ‘s’il vous plaît’ (formal) makes the request sound more courteous. Remember that using ‘tu’ signals familiarity; with strangers or service staff you should default to ‘vous’.