Although it's standard practice to put a word or phrase that modifies a verb before the verb, there are, of course, exceptions. 给 (gěi) is one of those exceptions; it sometimes comes before the verb, and sometimes after. This article is about when it comes after.
Contents
- Structure
- Examples
- See also
- Sources and further reading
- Books
Basic Pattern
Structure
Note that the verbs that fit into this pattern are normally single-syllable verbs.
Subj. + Verb + 给 + [Recipient] + Obj.
Examples
- 他 送给 了 我 一 束 花。 Tā sòng gěi le wǒ yī shù huā. He gave me a bouquet of flowers.
- 这 个 老板 卖给 了 我 一 条 死 鱼。 Zhège lǎobǎn mài gěi le wǒ yītiáo sǐ yú. This boss sold me a dead fish.
- 我 要 还给 你 三 十 块 钱。 Wǒ yào huán gěi nǐ sānshí kuài qián. I need to return 30rmb to you.
- 房东 租给 了 我 一 个 很 便宜 的 房子。 Fángdōng zū gěi le wǒ yīgè hěn piányi de fángzi.
The landlord rented a very cheap house to me.
- 我 借给 了 他 一 本 书。 Wǒ jiè gěi le tā yī běn shū. I lent him a book.
- 我 要 糖，他 递给 了 我 一 瓶 盐。 Wǒ yào táng, tā dì gěi le wǒ yī píng yán. I wanted sugar, he handed me a bottle of salt.
- 姐姐 分给 了 我 一块 蛋糕。 Jiějie fēn gěi le wǒ yīkuài dàngāo. Older sister gave me a piece of cake.
- 老师 传授给 了 学生 很多 经验。 Lǎoshī chuánshòu gěi le xuésheng hěn duō jīngyàn. The teacher passed on a lot of experience to us.
- 我们 献给 了 老师 一 首 歌。 Wǒmen xiàn gěi le lǎoshī yī shǒu gē. We dedicated a song to the teacher.
- 这些 校友 捐给 了 学校 二 十 万。 Zhèxiē xiàoyǒu juān gěi le xuéxiào èrshí wàn.
These alumni donated two hundred thousand to the school.
- 主人 赏给 了 小狗 一 块 肉。 Zhǔrén shǎng gěi le xiǎo gǒu yīkuài ròu. The owner rewarded his dog with a piece of meat.
- 一 个 孩子 交给 了 我 一 封 信。 Yīgè xiǎohái jiāo gěi le wǒ yī fēng xìn. A child gave me a letter.
Pattern Using 把
Structure
Additionally, you can add 把 into this structure. This does not change the meaning of the sentence and when used in context can even add emphasis to what's being done and given.
Subj. + 把 + Obj. + Verb + 给 + Somebody
Examples
- 他 把 一 束 花 送给 了 我。 Tā bǎ yī shù huā sòng gěi le wǒ.
He gave me a bouquet of flowers.
- 这 个 老板 把 一 条 死鱼 卖给 了 我。 Zhège lǎobǎn bǎ yītiáo sǐ yú mài gěi le wǒ.
This boss sold me a dead fish.
- 房东 把 一 个 很 便宜 的 房子 租给 了 我。 Fángdōng bǎ yī gè hěn piányi de fángzi zū gěi le wǒ.
The landlord rented a very cheap house to me.
- 我 把 书 借给 了 他。 Wǒ bǎ shū jiè gěi le tā.
I lent him a book.
- 我 要 糖，他 把 一 瓶 盐 递给 了 我。 Wǒ yào táng, tā bǎ yī píng yán dì gěi le wǒ.
I wanted sugar, he handed me a bottle of salt.
- 姐姐 把 一 块 蛋糕 分给 了 我。 Jiějie bǎ yīkuài dàngāo fēn gěi le wǒ.
Older sister gave me a piece of cake.
- 老师 把 很 多 经验 都 传授 给 了 学生。 Lǎoshī bǎ hěn duō jīngyàn dōu chuánshòu gěi le xuésheng.
The teacher passed on a lot of experience to us.
- 我们 把 一 首 歌 献给 了 老师。 Wǒmen bǎ yī shǒu gē xiàn gěi le lǎoshī. We dedicated a song to the teacher.
- 这些 校友 把 二 十 万 捐给 了 学校。 Zhèxiē xiàoyǒu bǎ èrshí wàn juān gěi le xuéxiào.
These alumnus donated two hundred thousand to the school.
- 主人 把 一 块 肉 赏给 了 小狗。 Zhǔrén bǎ yīkuài ròu shǎng gěi le xiǎo gǒu.
The owner rewarded his dog with a piece of meat.
- 一 个 孩子 把 一 封 信 交给 了 我。 Yī gè xiǎohái bǎ yī fēng xìn jiāo gěi le wǒ.
A child gave me a letter.
Exception to the 把 Pattern: 嫁
Note that the verb 嫁 (jià) cannot fit into the 把 pattern above; it's an exception.
- 她 嫁给 了 一 个 有 钱 的 老头。 Tā jià gěi le yī gè yǒu qián de lǎotóu.
If you really want to make a 把 sentence, though, you can do this:
- 她 的 爸爸 把 她 嫁给 了 一 个 有 钱 的 老头。 Tā de bàba bǎ tā jià gěi le yī gè yǒu qián de lǎotóu.
Academic Debate
Although 给 phrases should normally precede a verb like any other prepositional phrase, they sometimes come after. Why have it both ways? There is some academic debate over whether this 给 is actually a preposition or a type of verb (often called a "co-verb"), or even a type of complement. This type of discussion is outside the scope of this article, however.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
Dictionaries