Difference between revisions of "Verbs preceded by "gei""

Line 15: Line 15:
 
*现在 不要 <em>给</em> 他 <strong>打电话</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Xiànzài bùyào <em>gěi</em> tā <strong>dǎ diànhuà</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Don't give him a phone call now.</span>
 
*现在 不要 <em>给</em> 他 <strong>打电话</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Xiànzài bùyào <em>gěi</em> tā <strong>dǎ diànhuà</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Don't give him a phone call now.</span>
 
*请 快点 <em>给</em> 我 <strong>回 邮件</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Qǐng kuàidiǎn <em>gěi</em> wǒ <strong>huí yóujiàn</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Please return my email soon.</span>
 
*请 快点 <em>给</em> 我 <strong>回 邮件</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Qǐng kuàidiǎn <em>gěi</em> wǒ <strong>huí yóujiàn</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Please return my email soon.</span>
*他 说 他 会 <em>给</em> 我 <strong>写信</strong> 的 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shuō tā huì <em>gěi</em> wǒ <strong>写信</strong> de.</span><span class="trans">He said he would write letters to me.</span>
+
*他 说 他 会 <em>给</em> 我 <strong>写信</strong> 的 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shuō tā huì <em>gěi</em> wǒ <strong>xiě xìn</strong> de.</span><span class="trans">He said he would write letters to me.</span>
 
*你 可以 <em>给</em> 大家 <strong>读 一下</strong> 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>gěi</em> dàjiā <strong>dú yīxià</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Could you please read it for everybody?</span>
 
*你 可以 <em>给</em> 大家 <strong>读 一下</strong> 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>gěi</em> dàjiā <strong>dú yīxià</strong> ma?</span><span class="trans">Could you please read it for everybody?</span>
 
*我 <em>给</em> 你 <strong>发 短信</strong> 了 ,你 怎么 不 回 ?<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em> nǐ <strong>fā duǎnxìn</strong> le. Nǐ zěnme bù huí?</span><span class="trans">I sent you short messages. Why didn't you return any?</span>
 
*我 <em>给</em> 你 <strong>发 短信</strong> 了 ,你 怎么 不 回 ?<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em> nǐ <strong>fā duǎnxìn</strong> le. Nǐ zěnme bù huí?</span><span class="trans">I sent you short messages. Why didn't you return any?</span>

Revision as of 08:23, 4 January 2018

The word 给 (gěi) literally means "to give," but is frequently used in Chinese to indicate the target of a verb. The target is who or what the verb is aimed or directed at.

Structure

Subj. + 给 + Target + [Verb Phrase]

Examples

  • 现在 不要 打电话Xiànzài bùyào gěidǎ diànhuà.Don't give him a phone call now.
  • 请 快点 回 邮件Qǐng kuàidiǎn gěihuí yóujiàn.Please return my email soon.
  • 他 说 他 会 写信 的 。Tā shuō tā huì gěixiě xìn de.He said he would write letters to me.
  • 你 可以 大家 读 一下 吗 ?Nǐ kěyǐ gěi dàjiā dú yīxià ma?Could you please read it for everybody?
  • 发 短信 了 ,你 怎么 不 回 ?gěifā duǎnxìn le. Nǐ zěnme bù huí?I sent you short messages. Why didn't you return any?
  • 她 的 粉丝 常常 寄 礼物Tā de fěnsī chángcháng gěijì lǐwù.Her fans often send her gifts.
  • 小时候 ,妈妈 每天 都 讲 故事Xiǎoshíhou, māma měi tiān dōu gěijiǎng gùshi.When I was young, every day my mother would tell me stories.
  • 爸爸 应该 儿子 道歉Bàba yīnggāi gěi érzi dàoqiàn.The father should apologize to his son.
  • 谁 能 解释 一下Shéi néng gěijiěshì yīxià?Who can explain this to me?
  • 老板 让 我 明天 客户 介绍 我们 的 新 产品Lǎobǎn ràng wǒ míngtiān gěi kèhù jièshào wǒmen de xīn chǎnpǐn.My boss asked to present our new product to the client tomrrow.

Chinese speakers use 给 in some interesting ways, similar to how English speakers use "to give," as in "to give someone a phone call" or "to give someone a reply."

Alternative Structure

Although the structure above is the best one to learn first, some verbs frequently use 给, but have the 给 coming after the verb, rather than before. It's best to think of these as exceptions to the rule above, and you can learn more about these exceptions by reading about Verbs followed by "gei".

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

{{Similar|Using "dui" with verbs}