Expressing "for" with "gei"

The preposition 给 (gěi) can mean "for," as in, "everything I do, I do it for you." You can also think of it to mean "give," like to give a service or to give an Obj.. In this case, the default position of the character is before the verb, although it sometimes comes after, depending on the verb.

Structure

The meaning of 给 is very similar to 为 (wèi) in Chinese, but 给 is more informal than 为, and there are many cases where it's simply based on convention and general practice to decide to use one or the other.

Subj. + 给 + Recipient + [Verb Phrase]

Note that the "recipient" in the pattern above is usually a person, but isn't necessarily a person. It could be an animal, or company, or any number of other types of recipients.

Examples

• 给 客人 倒茶 。Gěi kèrén dàochá.Pour a cup of tea for the guest.
• 妈妈 在 给 孩子 们 做饭 。Māma zài gěi háizi men zuòfàn.Mom is cooking for the kids.
• 请 给 我 拿 一 双 筷子 。Qǐng gěi wǒ ná yī shuāng kuàizi.Please give me a pair of chopsticks.
• 可以 给 我 带 一 杯 咖啡 吗 ？Kěyǐ gěi wǒ dài yī bēi kāfēi ma?Could you please bring me a cup of coffee?
• 老公 给 我 买 了 一 条 裙子 。 Lǎogōng gěi wǒ mǎi le yī tiáo qúnzi.My husband bought a dress for me.
• 我们 想 给 儿子 开 一 个 生日 派对 。Wǒmen xiǎng gěi érzi kāi yī gè shēngrì pàiduì.We want to hold a birthday party for our son.
• 我 儿子 喜欢 给 小狗 洗澡 。Wǒ érzi xǐhuan gěi xiǎogǒu xǐzǎo.My son likes to give a bath to our dog.
• 如果 你 来 中国 玩 ，我 给 你 当 导游 。Rúguǒ nǐ lái Zhōngguó wán, wǒ gěi nǐ dāng dǎoyóu.If you come to visit China, I'll serve as a tour guide for you.
• 如果 你 自己 不 打扫 ，谁 给 你 打扫 ？Rúguǒ nǐ zìjǐ bù dǎsǎo, shéi gěi nǐ dǎsǎo?If you don't do the cleaning by yourself, who else will do it you?
• 我 没 带 钥匙 ，你 能 给 我 开 一下 门 吗 ？Wǒ méi dài yàoshi, nǐ néng gěi wǒ kāi yīxià mén ma?I don't have the key. Could you please open the door for me?

See also

• Expressing "with" with "gen"
• Verbs preceded by "gei"
• Using "dui"
• Expressing "for" with "wei"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (pp. 196) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 464) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy