Introduction
给 (gěi) marks who receives something. It has two seats in the sentence and they mean different things: after the verb it delivers the thing — 我送给他一本书。(Wǒ sòng gěi tā yì běn shū.) — I gave him a book; before the verb it says who the action is done for — 我给他打电话。(Wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.) — I rang him.
Overview
Structure: Subj. + Verb + 给 (gěi) + Recipient + Obj.
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Subj + V + 给 + Person + O | 我送给他一本书。(Wǒ sòng gěi tā yì běn shū.) | I gave him a book. |
| Subj + 给 + Person + V + O | 我给他打电话。(Wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.) | I rang him. |
| 给 as the verb itself | 我给你一本书。(Wǒ gěi nǐ yì běn shū.) | I'll give you a book. |
| O + Subj + V + 给 + Person | 这本书我送给你。(Zhè běn shū wǒ sòng gěi nǐ.) | This book — I'm giving it to you. |
| 给 + Person + V（for） | 我给妈妈做饭。(Wǒ gěi māma zuò fàn.) | I cook for my mother. |
Before the verb or after it — the thing moves, or it doesn't:
- 我送给他一本书。(Wǒ sòng gěi tā yì běn shū.) — Something physically changes hands.
- 我给他打电话。(Wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.) — Nothing changes hands; the action is aimed at him.
- Verbs that take 给 after them are verbs of transfer: 送 (sòng) give，卖 (mài) sell，还 (huán) return，寄 (jì) post，交 (jiāo) hand in.
- Verbs that take 给 before them are anything you do for someone: 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà)，做饭 (zuò fàn)，买东西 (mǎi dōngxi)。
Examples
我送给他一本书。
Wǒ sòng gěi tā yì běn shū.
I gave him a book.
我给他打电话了。
Wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le.
I rang him.
这本书我还给你。
Zhè běn shū wǒ huán gěi nǐ.
I'm returning this book to you.
我给妈妈做饭。
Wǒ gěi māma zuò fàn.
I cook for my mother.
请给我一杯水。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.
A glass of water, please.
他卖给我一辆车。
Tā mài gěi wǒ yí liàng chē.
He sold me a car.
Usage Notes
- 给 (gěi) is a full verb in its own right: 我给你一本书。(Wǒ gěi nǐ yì běn shū.) Here it needs no other verb at all.
- The recipient always comes immediately after 给 (gěi), and the thing given comes after the recipient.
- 给 (gěi) before the verb works like 对 (duì) and 跟 (gēn) — a preposition phrase sitting in front of the action. 给 is "for", 对 is "towards", 跟 is "with".
- Negation goes in front of the whole thing: 我没给他打电话。(Wǒ méi gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.)
- 给 (gěi) is 3rd tone, but in 送给 (sòng gěi) and 还给 (huán gěi) it is often said light and quick.