Difference between revisions of "Expressing "for" with "gei""

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* 你 <em>给</em> 我 泡 一 杯 茶 好 吗 ? <span class="trans">Could you make a cup of tea for me?</span>
 
* 你 <em>给</em> 我 泡 一 杯 茶 好 吗 ? <span class="trans">Could you make a cup of tea for me?</span>
 
* 老公 <em>给</em> 我 买 了 一 个 大 蛋糕。 <span class="trans">My husband bought a big cake for me.</span>
 
* 老公 <em>给</em> 我 买 了 一 个 大 蛋糕。 <span class="trans">My husband bought a big cake for me.</span>
* 我 <em>给</em> 你 削 个 苹果 吃。 <span class="trans">I'll peel an apple for you, all right?</span>
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* 我 <em>给</em> 你 削 个 苹果 吃。 <span class="trans">I'll peel an apple for you.</span>
 
* 看,我 <em>给</em> 你 带 了 什么? <span class="trans">Look what I brought for you.</span>
 
* 看,我 <em>给</em> 你 带 了 什么? <span class="trans">Look what I brought for you.</span>
 
* 可以 <em>给</em> 我 送 到 门口 吗?</span><span class="trans">Could you send it to the door for me?</span>
 
* 可以 <em>给</em> 我 送 到 门口 吗?</span><span class="trans">Could you send it to the door for me?</span>
 
* 小时候,妈妈 经常 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事。 <span class="expl">(In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)</span><span class="trans">When I was little, mom often told me stories.</span>
 
* 小时候,妈妈 经常 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事。 <span class="expl">(In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)</span><span class="trans">When I was little, mom often told me stories.</span>
* 医生 在 <em>给</em> 病人 看 病。 <span class="expl">(In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)</span><span class="trans">The doctor is seeing the patients.</span>
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* 医生 在 <em>给</em> 病人 看 病。 <span class="expl">(In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)</span><span class="trans">The doctor is seeing the patient.</span>
 
* 这 个 阿姨 <em>给</em> 你 检查 身体。 <span class="expl">(This would be a health check scenario.)</span><span class="trans">This lady will examine your body.</span>
 
* 这 个 阿姨 <em>给</em> 你 检查 身体。 <span class="expl">(This would be a health check scenario.)</span><span class="trans">This lady will examine your body.</span>
  

Revision as of 09:36, 4 December 2014

The preposition 给 (gěi) can mean for "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 object. In this case, the default position is before the verb, although it sometimes comes after, depending on the verb.

Basic Usage

The meaning of 给 is very similar to (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.

Structure

Subject + 给 + [Recipient] + Verb + Object

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

  • 我 要 孩子 们 做 饭。 I need to cook for the kids.
  • 你 当 翻译。 I'll serve as translator for you.
  • 你的 父母 会 不 会 你 买 房子 ? Will your parents buy a home for you?
  • 我 泡 一 杯 茶 好 吗 ? Could you make a cup of tea for me?
  • 老公 我 买 了 一 个 大 蛋糕。 My husband bought a big cake for me.
  • 你 削 个 苹果 吃。 I'll peel an apple for you.
  • 看,我 你 带 了 什么? Look what I brought for you.
  • 可以 我 送 到 门口 吗?Could you send it to the door for me?
  • 小时候,妈妈 经常 我 讲 故事。 (In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)When I was little, mom often told me stories.
  • 医生 在 病人 看 病。 (In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.)The doctor is seeing the patient.
  • 这 个 阿姨 你 检查 身体。 (This would be a health check scenario.)This lady will examine your body.

Usage After the Verb

There are some common verbs which allow the 给 to follow the verb. For more on this usage, please see the article "gei" following verbs.

Structure

Subject + Verb + 给 + [Recipient] + Object

Examples

For examples of this usage, please see the article "gei" following verbs.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries