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 as meaning "give," like to give a service or to give something to someone. 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, company, or any number of other types of recipients.

Examples

• 给 客人 倒茶 。Gěi kèrén dàochá.Pour tea for the guests.
• 妈妈 在 给 孩子 们 做饭 。Māma zài gěi háizi men zuòfàn.Mom cooks for the kids.
• 我 儿子 喜欢 给 小狗 洗澡 。Wǒ érzi xǐhuan gěi xiǎogǒu xǐzǎo.My son likes giving our dog a bath.
• 请 给 我 拿 一 双 筷子 。Qǐng gěi wǒ ná yī shuāng kuàizi.Please get a pair of chopsticks for me.
• 可以 给 我 买 一 杯 咖啡 吗 ？Kěyǐ gěi wǒ mǎi yī bēi kāfēi ma?Could you buy me a cup of coffee?
• 可以 给 我 拿 一下 行李 吗 ？Kěyǐ gěi wǒ ná yīxià xíngli ma?Can you take my luggage for me?
• 这个 周末 我们 给 儿子 开 生日 派对 。Zhège zhōumò wǒmen gěi érzi kāi shēngrì pàiduì.We're going to hold a birthday party for our son this weekend.
• 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 didn't bring the key. Could you open the door for me?
• 你 想 给 我 打扫 房间 吗 ？Nǐ xiǎng gěi wǒ dǎsǎo fángjiān ma?Would you like to clean the room for me?
• 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 visit China, I'll be your tour guide.

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

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