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HSK 2

给

to give; for; to (someone)

verbneutral1 episode
给
gěi3rd tone

HSK level

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Pinyin
gěi
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
9
Register
neutral
In episodes
1

Stroke order for 给

给 is written with 9 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 给 mean?

给 (gěi) means 'to give,' but it does much more work than the English verb.

Three jobs to know: (1) main verb 'give' — 我给你一本书 (I give you a book); (2) preposition 'for / to (someone)' before another verb — 我给你打电话 (I'll call you, lit. 'I, for you, make a call'); (3) passive marker similar to 被 in colloquial speech — 杯子给打破了 (the cup got broken).

The preposition use trips up English speakers because 给 comes BEFORE the main verb, not after: it's 我给妈妈做饭 (I cook for mom), never the English order. 给 is also pronounced jǐ in formal compounds like 供给 (gōngjǐ, supply) and 给予 (jǐyǔ, to grant) — but in everyday Mandarin, gěi is the only reading you need.

Note: Everyday word in both speech and writing. Very polite contexts may upgrade to 送 (sòng, give as a gift) or 递 (dì, hand over).

Memory hook: Think 'GAY-ve' — 给 sounds a bit like 'give' and means exactly that.

Hear 给 in real episodes

给 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.

李书福说：请给我一次做不好的机会。

Li Shufu said: please give me one chance to fail.

The Man Who Bought Volvo Just Handed His Carmaker to Someone Who Is Not Family

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Example sentences

请给我一杯水。

Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.

Please give me a glass of water.

polite

我晚上给你打电话。

Wǒ wǎnshang gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.

I'll call you tonight.

spoken

这是妈妈给我买的。

Zhè shì māma gěi wǒ mǎi de.

This is what mom bought for me.

neutral

他给了我一本中文书。

Tā gěi le wǒ yì běn Zhōngwén shū.

He gave me a Chinese book.

neutral

你能给我介绍一下吗？

Nǐ néng gěi wǒ jièshào yíxià ma?

Could you give me an introduction (to it)?

polite

Common phrases with 给

给我gěi wǒgive me; for me
给你gěi nǐhere you go (handing something over)
给我打电话gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuàcall me (on the phone)
送给sòng gěigive as a gift to
交给jiāo gěihand over to

Synonyms

送sòng

送 means 'give as a gift' or 'see someone off.' Use 送 when there's no expectation of return; use 给 for any neutral handing-over. 我送你一本书 = I'm gifting you a book; 我给你一本书 = I'm passing you a book.

递dì

递 means 'pass / hand over,' usually across a short distance. 给 is general; 递 emphasizes the physical act — 把盐递给我 (pass me the salt).

为wèi

为 also means 'for (someone's sake),' but is more formal/written. 我为你做的 sounds bookish; 我给你做的 sounds natural in speech.

Don't confuse 给 with

跟gēn

跟 means 'with / follow' — 跟我来 (come with me). 给 means 'give / for.' Beginners mix up 给 and 跟 because both can introduce a person before a verb, but 跟 = together, 给 = to/for.

和hé

和 ('and / with') connects two nouns or expresses 'together with.' 给 transfers something to someone. 我和你去 = you and I go; 我给你 = I give to you.

对duì

对 ('toward / to') also points an action at someone — 对我说 (say to me). 给 transfers a thing or a service; 对 directs speech or attitude toward someone.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

别人someone else车car儿子son公司company管to manage, run机会chance老板boss买to buy钱money想to want, to think有名famous

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