Passer vs. tendre vs. donner
The French verbs passer, tendre, and donner can all translate to passing or handing an object to someone, but they carry different nuances regarding the physical gesture, the distance involved, and whether ownership of the object is transferred.
Passer
The verb passer means to pass or transfer an object to someone, usually over a short distance like across a table or within a room. It is casual and implies a simple, temporary transfer of a practical item without any change in ownership.
Peux-tu me passer le sel, s'il te plaît ?
(Can you pass me the salt, please?)
Passe-moi ce stylo pour que je puisse signer le document.
(Pass me that pen so I can sign the document.)
Elle a passé les assiettes propres aux invités.
(She passed the clean plates to the guests.)
Il m'a passé le ballon pendant la dernière minute du match.
(He passed the ball to me during the last minute of the game.)
Passez-moi le tournevis qui se trouve sur l'établi.
(Pass me the screwdriver that is on the workbench.)
Tendre
The verb tendre specifically emphasizes the physical gesture of stretching out one's arm to hand an object to someone. It focuses heavily on the action of holding something out for the other person to take directly from your hand.
Il m'a tendu un mouchoir quand j'ai commencé à pleurer.
(He handed me a tissue when I started to cry.)
Le serveur a tendu le menu au nouveau client.
(The waiter handed the menu to the new customer.)
Elle tend le billet de train au contrôleur.
(She hands the train ticket to the inspector.)
Je lui ai tendu les clés de la voiture avec un grand sourire.
(I handed him the car keys with a big smile.)
Le professeur tend la copie corrigée à l'élève.
(The teacher hands the graded test paper to the student.)
Donner
The verb donner is the most general word for giving an object to someone. While it can be used for simply handing something over, it very often implies a permanent transfer of ownership, a gift, or a more definitive exchange than passer or tendre.
Donne-moi ton manteau, je vais l'accrocher dans le couloir.
(Give me your coat, I will hang it up in the hallway.)
Il veut me donner son ancien ordinateur portable.
(He wants to give me his old laptop.)
Elle m'a donné un très beau livre pour mon anniversaire.
(She gave me a very beautiful book for my birthday.)
Ne lui donne pas de chocolat juste avant le dîner.
(Do not give him chocolate right before dinner.)
Les passants ont donné un peu de monnaie au musicien.
(The passersby gave a little change to the musician.)
Summary
In short, use passer for casually moving a practical item across a short distance, use tendre when you want to emphasize the physical arm gesture of holding something out to someone, and use donner for general giving, especially when the ownership of the object is permanently transferred.