Expressing "for" with "gei"

Level

B1 / HSK2
Level

B1
Level

HSK2
Similar to
- Expressing "for" with "wei" (B1)
- Using "dui" with verbs (B1)
- Verbs followed by "gei" (B1)
- Comparing "gei" and "wei" (B2)
Similar to
- Using "dui" with verbs (HSK2)
- Verbs followed by "gei" (HSK2)
- Comparing "gei" and "wei" (HSK5)
- Expressing "for" with "wei" (HSK5)
Used for

Expressing purpose
Keywords

给

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

给我倒一杯水，谢谢。Gěi wǒ dào yī bēi shuǐ, xièxie.Pour a cup of tea for me, thank you.
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?
给我们介绍一下这个新项目吧。Gěi wǒmen jièshào yīxià zhège xīn xiàngmù ba.Tell us about this new project, please.
老公给我买了一个大蛋糕。 Lǎogōng gěi wǒ mǎi le yī gè dà dàngāo.My husband bought a big cake for me.
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 tour guide for you.
如果你自己不打扫，谁会给你打扫？Rúguǒ nǐ zìjǐ bù dǎsǎo, shéi huì 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?

Sources and further reading

Books

现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 196)→buy

Dictionaries

现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 464) →buy