Verbs preceded by "gei"

Revision as of 09:48, 15 November 2013 by Loganp (talk | contribs) (→‎Examples)

Chinese speakers use 给 (gěi) 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".

Structure 1

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. There are two structures for this:

Subject + 给 + Target + Verb + Object

Examples

  • 打 电话。I gave him a phone call. (Literally: I give him hit phone.)
  • 回复。Please give me a reply.
  • 你 妈妈 每天 都 做饭 吗?Does your mama cook for you every day? (Literally: Your mama everyday gives you cook food?
  • 我 想 一个 好 东西。I want to give you something good.

Structure 2

The meaning is the same with Structure 1 above, except that there is a limit to the verbs you can use. The verbs often used are "打电话、回邮件、发邮件、送礼物、传文件"


Subject + Verb + Object + 给 + Target

Examples

  • 你 打 电话 You give him a phone call. (Literally: You hit phone give he.)
  • 我 会 发 邮件 I will send him an email.
  • 他 昨天 送 花 了。You sent me flowers yesterday.

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites