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

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*你 可以 <em>给</em> 大家 读 一下 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>gěi</em> dàjiā dú yīxià ma?</span><span class="trans">Could you please read it for everybody?</span>
 
*你 可以 <em>给</em> 大家 读 一下 吗 ?<span class="pinyin">Nǐ kěyǐ <em>gěi</em> dàjiā dú yīxià ma?</span><span class="trans">Could you please read it for everybody?</span>
 
*我 <em>给</em> 你 发 了 一 封 邮件 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em> nǐ fā le yī fēng yóujiàn.</span><span class="trans">I sent you an email.</span>
 
*我 <em>给</em> 你 发 了 一 封 邮件 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em> nǐ fā le yī fēng yóujiàn.</span><span class="trans">I sent you an email.</span>
*我 要 <em>给</em> 你 看 我们 的 新 产品 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào <em>gěi</em> nǐ kàn wǒmen de xīn chǎnpǐn.</span><span class="trans">I want you to take a look at our new product.</span>
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*他 说 他 会 <em>给</em> 我 写信 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shuō tā huì <em>gěi</em> wǒ xiěxìn.</span><span class="trans">He said he would write letters to me.</span>
 
*小 时候 ,妈妈 每天 都 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事 。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎo shíhou, māma měitiān dōu <em>gěi</em> wǒ jiǎng gùshi.</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">Xiǎo shíhou, māma měitiān dōu <em>gěi</em> wǒ jiǎng gùshi.</span><span class="trans">When I was young, every day my mother would tell me stories.</span>
 
*爸爸 应该 <em>给</em> 儿子 道歉 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba yīnggāi <em>gěi</em> érzi dàoqiàn.</span><span class="trans">The father should apologize to his son.</span>
 
*爸爸 应该 <em>给</em> 儿子 道歉 。<span class="pinyin">Bàba yīnggāi <em>gěi</em> érzi dàoqiàn.</span><span class="trans">The father should apologize to his son.</span>

Revision as of 07:21, 24 October 2017

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 他 打 电话 。Xiànzài bùyào gěi tā dǎ diànhuà.Don't give him a phone call now.
  • 请 快点 我 回 电话 。Qǐng kuàidiǎn gěi wǒ huí diànhuà.Please return my phone call soon.
  • 你 可以 大家 读 一下 吗 ?Nǐ kěyǐ gěi dàjiā dú yīxià ma?Could you please read it for everybody?
  • 你 发 了 一 封 邮件 。gěi nǐ fā le yī fēng yóujiàn.I sent you an email.
  • 他 说 他 会 我 写信 。Tā shuō tā huì gěi wǒ xiěxìn.He said he would write letters to me.
  • 小 时候 ,妈妈 每天 都 我 讲 故事 。Xiǎo shíhou, māma měitiān 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.
  • 我们 介绍 一下 你 的 男朋友 吧 。Gěi wǒmen jièshào yīxià nǐ de nánpéngyou ba.Talk about this matter to me.
  • 她 的 粉丝 常常 她 寄 礼物 。Tā de fěnsī chángcháng gěi tā jì lǐwù.Her fans often send her gifts.
  • 谁 能 我 解释 一下 这 是 为什么 ?Shéi néng gěi wǒ jiěshì yīxià zhè shì wèishénme?Talk about this matter to me.

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

See also

Sources and Further Reading

Books

Websites