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How to say “give to someone” with 给 (gěi) after a verb

Subj. + Verb + 给 (gěi) + Recipient + Obj.

给 (gěi) — verb + give to someone

HSK 2Verb phrases

Rule structure

Some verbs, like 送 (sòng) "give as a gift," 还 (huán) "return," and 借 (jiè) "lend/borrow," can be followed directly by 给 (gěi) to introduce the recipient of the transferred item.

Examples

我送给你一本书。

Wǒ sòng gěi nǐ yì běn shū.

I give a book to you.

我还给他钱。

Wǒ huángěi tā qián.

I return him the money.

我借给你一支笔。

Wǒ jiègěi nǐ yīzhī bǐ.

I lend a pen to you.

Practice

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Characters

Words from this rule

给

gěi

To give; for (preposition indicating recipient of action)

我

wǒ

I, me

送

sòng

To deliver, to give as gift; to send; to accompany

你

nǐ

You

一

yī

One, 1

本

běn

Measure word for books and notebooks; root, origin

书

shū

Book

还

hái

Still, yet (adverb)

他

tā

He

钱

qián

Money

借

jiè

To borrow

支

zhī

Measure word for pens, cigarettes, troops; to support

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “verb + give to someone” in Chinese with 给?

Use the structure: Subj. + Verb + 给 (gěi) + Recipient + Obj.. For example: 我送给你一本书。 — “I give a book to you”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我送给你一本书。 — “I give a book to you”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 2.

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More HSK 2 grammar rules

到 — direction with “to go to”

到 (dào) + Place + 去 (qù)

一下 — verbing briefly

Verb + 一下 (yíxià)

在 — location after verbs

Verb + 在 (zài) + Place

教你 — double object verbs

Subj. + Verb + Indirect Obj. + Direct Obj.

去 — actions in a row

(Verb Phrase 1) + (Verb Phrase 2)

不要 — negative commands

不要 (búyào) + Verb

看看 — verb reduplication, “take a look”

Verb + Verb

给 — giving to someone

Subj. + 给 (gěi) + Target + Verb + Obj.