The preposition 给 (gěi) can mean "for," as in, "everything I do, I do it for you." You can also think of it to mean "give," like to give a service or to give an Obj.. In this case, the default position of the character is before the verb, although it sometimes comes after, depending on the verb.

Structure

The meaning of 给 is very similar to 为 (wèi) in Chinese, but 给 is more informal than 为, and there are many cases where it's simply based on convention and general practice to decide to use one or the other.

Note that the "recipient" in the pattern above is usually a person, but isn't necessarily a person. It could be an animal, or company, or any number of other types of recipients.

Examples

妈妈在给孩子们做饭。 Māma zài gěi háizi men zuòfàn.Mom is cooking for the kids.
你父母会不会给你买房子？ Nǐ fùmǔ huì bu huì gěi nǐ mǎi fángzi? Will your parents buy a home for you?
给我泡一杯茶好吗？ Gěi wǒ pào yī bēi chá hǎo ma?Could you make a cup of tea for me?
老公给我买了一个大蛋糕。 Lǎogōng gěi wǒ mǎi le yī gè dà dàngāo.My husband bought a big cake for me.
请给我拿一双筷子。 Qǐng gěi wǒ ná yī shuāng kuàizi.Please give me a pair of chopsticks.
我给你带了巧克力。 Wǒ gěi nǐ dài le qiǎokèlì.I brought some chocolate for you.
如果你来中国玩，我给你当导游。 Rúguǒ nǐ lái Zhōngguó wán, wǒ gěi nǐ dāng dǎoyóu.If you come to visit China, I'll serve as tour guide for you.
我没带钥匙，你能给我开一下门吗？Wǒ méi dài yàoshi, nǐ néng gěi wǒ kāi yīxià mén ma?I don't have the key. Could you please open the door for me?
小时候，妈妈经常给我讲故事。In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.Xiǎoshíhou, māma jīngcháng gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshi.When I was little, mom often told me stories.
医生在给病人看病。 In some cases, translating with "for" in English doesn't work well.Yīshēng zài gěi bìngrén kànbìng.The doctor is seeing the patient.

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries