Verbs that take double objects
There are some common verbs in Chinese that can take two objects. In this article, we will look at how they are used.
Structure
As in English, some verbs in Chinese take two objects (these are known as "ditransitive" verbs). The classic example for English is "to bake someone a cake", and there are countless more. The structure in Chinese is:
Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Indirect Object
If you don't know what direct and indirect objects are, don't worry - the terms can be thought of as "object 1" and "object 2". The main point is that there are two of them.
Examples
- 我 问 老师 一 个 问题。I asked the teacher a question.
- 我 给 我 朋友 一 瓶 啤酒。I gave my friend a bottle of beer.
- 她 找 你 那个 朋友。She found you that friend.
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 182-3) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 165-6) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 187-8) →buy
