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给gěito give

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

给 (gěi) means "to give," and as a preposition it marks "to" or "for" someone. Put 给 before the recipient, then the object or the verb phrase. Use it when you give something to a person or do an action for their benefit.

What does 给 mean?

  1. 1.

    to giveverb

  2. 2.

    to; for; for the benefit ofpreposition

What does the character 给 mean?

  • 给to give

How do you use 给?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    Subj. + 给 + Recipient + [Verb Phrase]

    Put 给 before the recipient, then the verb phrase, to mark an action done for or directed to that person.

  2. 2

    Subj. + 给 + Person + Obj.

    As a verb, 给 takes the person who receives something, then the thing given.

给 often sits before the recipient; think "give to" or "do for," and keep the person right after 给 in beginner patterns.

Patterns

  • 给 + Person + Noun

    给我水。

    Gěi wǒ shuǐ.

    Give me water.

  • 给 + Person + Verb + Obj.

    请给我打电话。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.

    Please call me.

What are some examples of 给 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    给我书。

    Gěi wǒ shū.

    Give me the book.

  2. HSK 1

    他给我钱。

    Tā gěi wǒ qián.

    He gives me money.

  3. HSK 1

    请给我买茶。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ mǎi chá.

    Please buy tea for me.

  4. HSK 1

    妈妈给孩子做饭。

    Māma gěi háizi zuò fàn.

    Mom cooks for the child.

How is 给 different from 对?

给 marks giving something to someone or doing an action for their benefit. 对 often marks "toward / regarding" or "correct," not the "buy for me" recipient pattern. 请给我买茶 works; swapping in 对 does not.

Only 给 fits here

请给我买茶。

Qǐng gěi wǒ mǎi chá.

Please buy tea for me.

How is 给 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你可以给我水吗？

    Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ shuǐ ma?

    Can you give me water?

  2. Speaker B:

    可以，我给你。

    Kěyǐ, wǒ gěi nǐ.

    Yes, I'll give it to you.

  3. Speaker A:

    请给我买茶。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ mǎi chá.

    Please buy tea for me.

  4. Speaker B:

    好，我给你买。

    Hǎo, wǒ gěi nǐ mǎi.

    Okay, I'll buy it for you.

  5. Speaker A:

    你给我打电话了吗？

    Nǐ gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà le ma?

    Did you call me?

  6. Speaker B:

    打了，我给你打了。

    Dǎ le, wǒ gěi nǐ dǎ le.

    Yes, I called you.

Can you use 给 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank ("give me the book"): ___我书。
  2. 2.Fill in the blank ("buy tea for me"): 请___我买茶。
  3. 3.Which sentence means "Mom cooks for the child"?

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.