Verbs followed by "gei"

Although it's standard practice to put a word or phrase that modifies a verb before the verb, there are, of course, exceptions. 给 (gěi) is one of those exceptions; it sometimes comes before the verb, and sometimes after. (For this reason, there is some academic debate over whether this 给 is actually a preposition or a type of verb, but we won't get into that....) This article is about when it comes after.

Basic Pattern

Structure

Note that the verbs that fit into this pattern are normally single-syllable verbs.

Subject + Verb + 给 + [Recipient] + Object

Examples

• 他 送给 了 我 一 束 花。Tā sòng gěi le wǒ yī shù huā. He gave me a bouquet of flowers.
• 这 个 老板 卖给 了 我 一 条 死 鱼。Zhè gè lǎobǎn mài gěi le wǒ yītiáo sǐ yú. This boss sold me a dead fish.
• 我 要 还给 你 三 十 块 钱。Wǒ yào hái gěi nǐ sānshí kuài qián. I need to return 30rmb to you.
• 房东 租给 了 我 一 个 很 便宜 的 房子。Fángdōng zū gěi le wǒ yīgè hěn piányí de fángzi.The landlord rented a very cheap house to me.
• 我 借给 了 他 一 本 书。Wǒ jiè gěi le tā yī běn shū. I lent him a book.
• 我 要 糖，他 递给 了 我 一 瓶 盐。Wǒ yào táng, tā dì gěi le wǒ yī píng yán. I wanted sugar, he handed me a bottle of salt.
• 姐姐 分给 了 我 一块 蛋糕。Jiějiě fēn gěi le wǒ yīkuài dàngāo. Older sister gave me a piece of cake.
• 老师 传授给 了 学生 很多 经验。Lǎoshī chuánshòu gěi le xuéshēng hěnduō jīngyàn. The teacher passed on a lot of experience to us.
• 我们 献给 了 老师 一 首 歌。Wǒmen xiàn gěi le lǎoshī yī shǒu gē. We dedicated a song to the teacher.
• 这些 校友 捐给 了 学校 二 十 万。Zhèxiē xiàoyǒu juān gěi le xuéxiào èrshí wàn.These alumnus donated two hundred thousand to the school.
• 主人 赏给 了 小狗 一 块 肉。Zhǔrén shǎng gěi le xiǎo gǒu yīkuài ròu. The owner rewarded his dog with a piece of meat.
• 一 个 小孩 交给 了 我 一 封 信。Yīgè xiǎohái jiāo gěi le wǒ yī fēng xìn. A child gave me a letter.

Pattern Using 把

Structure

Additionally, you can add 把 into this structure. This does not change the meaning of the sentence and when used in context can even add emphasis to what's being done and given.

Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + 给 + somebody

Examples

• 他 把 一 束 花 送给 了 我。He gave me a bouquet of flowers.
• 这 个 老板 把 一 条 死鱼 卖给 了 我。This boss sold me a dead fish.
• 房东 把 一 个 很 便宜 的 房子 租给 了 我。The landlord rented a very cheap house to me.
• 我 把 一 本 书 借给 了 他。I lent him a book.
• 我 要 糖，他 把 一 瓶 盐 递给 了 我。I wanted sugar, he handed me a bottle of salt.
• 姐姐 把 一 块 蛋糕 分给 了 我。Older sister gave me a piece of cake.
• 老师 把 很 多 经验 传授给 了 学生。The teacher passed on a lot of experience to us.
• 我们 把 一 首 歌 献给 了 老师。"> We dedicated a song to the teacher.
• 这 些 校友 把 二 十 万 捐给 了 学校。These alumnus donated two hundred thousand to the school.
• 主人 把 一 块 肉 赏给 了 小狗。The owner rewarded his dog with a piece of meat.
• 一 个 小孩 把 一 封 信 交给 了 我。A child gave me a letter.

Exception to the 把 Pattern: 嫁

Note that the verb 嫁 (jià) cannot fit into the 把 pattern above; it's an exception.

• 她 嫁给 了 一 个 有 钱 的 老头。

If you really really want to make a 把 sentence, though, you can do this:

• 她 的 爸爸 把 她 嫁给 了 一 个 有 钱 的 老头。

See also

• Verbs with "gei"
• "for" with "gei"
• Expressing passive voice with "gei"

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