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