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

m (Text replacement - "shíhòu" to "shíhou")
m (Text replacement - "māmā" to "māma")
Line 23: Line 23:
 
*  <em>给</em> 女朋友 送 什么 礼物 呢?<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em> nǚpéngyou sòng shénme lǐwù ne?</span><span class="trans">What gift should I give to my girlfriend?</span>
 
*  <em>给</em> 女朋友 送 什么 礼物 呢?<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em> nǚpéngyou sòng shénme lǐwù ne?</span><span class="trans">What gift should I give to my girlfriend?</span>
 
*  <em>给</em> 我 说 说 这 件 事情。<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em> wǒ shuō shuō zhè jiàn shìqíng.</span><span class="trans">Talk about this matter with me.</span>
 
*  <em>给</em> 我 说 说 这 件 事情。<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em> wǒ shuō shuō zhè jiàn shìqíng.</span><span class="trans">Talk about this matter with me.</span>
* 小 时候,妈妈 每天 都 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎoshíhou, māmā měitiān dōu <em>gěi</em> wǒ jiǎng gùshì.</span><span class="trans">When I was young, every day my mother would tell me stories.</span>
+
* 小 时候,妈妈 每天 都 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎoshíhou, māma měitiān dōu <em>gěi</em> wǒ jiǎng gùshì.</span><span class="trans">When I was young, every day my mother would tell me stories.</span>
 
* 你 应该 <em>给</em> 他 道歉。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ yīnggāi <em>gěi</em> tā dàoqiàn.</span><span class="trans">You should apologize to him.</span>
 
* 你 应该 <em>给</em> 他 道歉。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ yīnggāi <em>gěi</em> tā dàoqiàn.</span><span class="trans">You should apologize to him.</span>
 
</div>
 
</div>

Revision as of 15:26, 18 February 2016

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

Subject + 给 + Target + Verb + Object


Examples

  • 他 打 电话 了。gěi tā dǎ diànhuà le.I gave him a phone call. (Literally: I give him hit phone.)
  • 我 回 电话。Qǐng gěi wǒ huí diànhuà.Please return my phone call.
  • 你 发 了 一 封 邮件。gěi nǐ fā le yī fēng yóujiàn.I sent you a letter.
  • 但是 你 没有 我 回 邮件。Dànshì nǐ méiyǒu gěi wǒ huí yóujiàn.But you didn't reply to my letter.
  • 我 要 你 看 我们 的 新 产品。Wǒ yào gěi nǐ kàn wǒmen de xīn chǎnpǐn.I want you to take a look at our new product.
  • 女朋友 送 什么 礼物 呢?Gěi nǚpéngyou sòng shénme lǐwù ne?What gift should I give to my girlfriend?
  • 我 说 说 这 件 事情。Gěi wǒ shuō shuō zhè jiàn shìqíng.Talk about this matter with me.
  • 小 时候,妈妈 每天 都 我 讲 故事。Xiǎoshíhou, māma měitiān dōu gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshì.When I was young, every day my mother would tell me stories.
  • 你 应该 他 道歉。Nǐ yīnggāi gěi tā dàoqiàn.You should apologize to him.

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".

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 cane learn more about these exceptions by reading about "gei" following verbs.

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites