Verbs preceded by "gei"

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 gěi wǒ huí yóujiàn.Please return my email soon.
  • 他 说 他 会 写信 的 。Tā shuō tā huì gěi wǒ xiěxìn 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 quite a few short messages. Why didn't you return any?
  • 她 的 粉丝 常常 寄 礼物Tā de fěnsī chángcháng gěi tā jì lǐwù.Her fans often send her gifts.
  • 小时候 ,妈妈 每天 都 讲 故事Xiǎoshíhou, māma měi tiān dōu gěi wǒ jiǎng 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 gěi wǒ jiěshì 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}