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.
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
Category:B1 grammar points