给 + recipient + verb
Mandarin Chinese Articles
How to use 给 (gěi) in Mandarin Chinese?
By: Grace Zhang Tue Nov 26 2024
Mandarin chinesePrepositions
给 (gěi) is a common and very versatile word in Mandarin Chinese, and it can be used as either a verb meaning “to give” or as a preposition. Look at the examples below to see a couple potential uses for 给 (gěi).
我给你钥匙。
(Wǒ gěi nǐ yàoshi.)
I will give you the key.
我给你买了那本书。
(Wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi le nà běn shū.)
I bought that book for you.
In the first sentence, 给 (gěi) is used as a verb ("to give"). A verb refers to an action (e.g. to run, to sing). In the second sentence, 给 (gěi) is used as a preposition (“for”). A preposition expresses spatial, temporal, or other relations. For example: “the girl in the room” (spatial relation), “she spoke before me” (temporal relation), and “Did you buy that for me?” (the purpose of purchase).
Using 给 (gěi) should be a piece of cake, right? Hold your horses! 给 (gěi) in Mandarin is more versatile than "to give" in English. In Mandarin, 给 (gěi) can be used as either a verb or a preposition. In English, prepositions usually come after the verb, but it is the other way around in Mandarin. For example, in the sentence 他给女儿做什么都行 (Tā gěi nǚ'ér zuò shénme dōu xíng, He will do anything for his daughter), 给 is used before the verb 做 (zuò, to do). However, in English, the preposition "for" is used after the verb "to do."
Dive on in and keep reading to learn more about 给 (gěi) and take another step towards mastering Mandarin!
Table of Contents
How to use 给 (gěi) as a verb in Mandarin Chinese?
Similar to how English speakers use "to give," 给 (gěi) in Mandarin can be used as a verb, as in the following examples:
我给他一本书。
(Wǒ gěi tā yī běn shū.)
I gave him a book.
请给我一杯茶。
(Qǐng gěi wǒ yībēi chá.)
I'd like some tea, please.
是他给你的钱吗？
(Shì tā gěi nǐ de qián ma?)
Is it he who gave you the money?
How to use 给 (gěi) as a preposition in Mandarin Chinese?
In addition to its function as a verb, 给 (gěi) can also be used as a preposition meaning "for," "to," or “by,” among others. 给 (gěi) combines with other words to form a prepositional phrase that indicates the recipient of an action. The prepositional phrase can be placed either before or after the verb.
When is 给 (gěi) placed before a verb?
In Mandarin, the 给 (gěi) prepositional phrase is normally placed before the verb.
老师给学生讲课。
(Lǎoshī gěi xuésheng jiǎngkè.)
The teacher lectures to the students.
你给谁打电话？
(Nǐ gěi shéi dǎ diànhuà?)
Who do you call?
Although 给 (gěi) phrases normally precede a verb like any other prepositional phrase in Mandarin, they sometimes come after a verb.
我给你买了一本书。
(Wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi le yī běn shū.)
I bought you a book.
我买了一本书给你。
(Wǒ mǎi le yī běn shū gěi nǐ.)
I bought a book for you.
In the second sentence, the 给 phrase goes in the end of the sentence. This type of usage occurs more in informal situations and by southern speakers. The first sentence with 给 phrase before the verb, appears to be more formal than the second sentence.
When is 给 (gěi) placed after a verb?
给 (gěi) can also be used after the verb, called a verb-给 compound.
verb-给 + recipient
他借给我一本书。
(Tā jiègěi wǒ yī běn shū.)
He lent a book to me.
老师教给我们汉语。
(Lǎoshī jiàogěi wǒmen Hànyǔ.)
The teacher teaches us Chinese.
妈妈送给他一个礼物。
(Māma sònggěi tā yī gè lǐwù.)
Mom gave him a present.
借给 (jiègěi) in the first sentence is a compound verb, meaning “to lend to.” The verb-给 compound is a common way to talk about doing something for or to someone in Mandarin.
Some commonly used verb-给 compounds are listed below.
Verb-给 compound | Example |
|---|---|
寄给 (jìgěi, to mail to) | 朋友寄给他一本书。 (Péngyou jìgěi tā yī běn shū.) A friend sent him a book. |
递给 (dìgěi, to pass to) | 麻烦您把书递给我。 (Máfan nín bǎ shū dìgěi wǒ.) Please pass me the book. |
交给 (jiāogěi, to hand in to) | 请把这个袋子交给小王。 (Qǐng bǎ zhè ge dàizi jiāogěi Xiǎo Wáng.) Please give this bag to Xiao Wang. |
卖给 (màigěi, to sell to) | 我不想卖给你。 (Wǒ bù xiǎng màigěi nǐ.) I don't want to sell it to you. |
还给 (huángěi, to give back to) | 你能把钱还给我吗？ (Nǐ néng bǎ qián huángěi wǒ ma?) Can you pay back my money? |
讲给 (jiǎnggěi, to tell about) | 朋友讲给我听了。 (Péngyou jiǎnggěi wǒ tīng le.) A friend told me about it. |
How to use 给 (gěi) in a passive sentence in Mandarin Chinese?
Another important function of 给 (gěi, by) is to form part of a passive sentence. In this case, 给 is a preposition. A passive sentence with 给 follows this pattern:
receiver of the action + 给 + doer of the action + verb + any other elements
我给他骗了。
(Wǒ gěi tā piàn le.)
I was deceived by him.
孩子给他妈妈惯坏了。
(Háizi gěi tā māma guànhuài le.)
The child is spoiled by his mother.
给 (gěi) can be replaced by 被 (bèi, by), as in 我被他骗了 (Wǒ bèi tā piàn le, I was deceived by him). 被 sentences can also omit the doer, e.g. 我被骗了 (Wǒ bèi piàn le, I was deceived). The difference between 给 and 被 is that the former is more informal and is not usually used in written language, where the latter is used more in formal situations.
To sum up
给 (gěi) can be used as either a verb or a preposition. When it is used as a verb, it is similar to the English verb “to give.” However, when 给 is used as a preposition (similar to “for,” “to,” or “by” in English), it can appear before a verb, as well as after a verb. Here are the patterns 给 follows when it is used as a preposition:
给 used before verb | 给 + recipient + verb |
|---|---|
给 used after verb | verb-给 + recipient |
给 in passive sentence | recipient + 给 + doer + verb + other elements |
Now, let’s check whether you’ve successfully learned how to use 给 with some helpful exercises. Be sure to try your best!
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