Discussion of 给/給

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In this post, we compare these three prepositions: 给, 对 and 向.

给 (prep) is used to introduce the party receiving or issuing an action. The many different ways in which 给 (prep) is used are summarized here:
1. Used to introduce the party that receives something. The phrase lead by 给 “给+noun/pronoun” can be placed either before or after the action. Please note that #1 is the only usage where the phrase lead by 给 can be placed flexibly in this way: E.g. 给朋友打个电话/打个电话给朋友；给你写封信/写封信给你
2. Used to introduce the party that benefits or suffers from an action. E.g.
老师给我解释清楚了。The teacher explained it clearly to me.
别把屋子给我搞得乱七八糟。Don’t mess up the room (coz I suffer from the consequence).
3. Used to introduce the party that’s at the receiving end of an action, e.g. talk, speak, apologize, greet, etc.In #3, 给 can be replaced by 向 or 对. E.g.
给/对/向国旗行礼 salute the national flag
给/对/向同学道歉 apologize to the classmate
给/对/向大家说说你的看法 tell everyone your thoughts
4. Used to introduce the party that is the doer of the action. E.g.
瓶子给妹妹打碎了。The bottle was broken by (my) younger sister.

For differences between 对 (prep) and 向 (prep), please visit the discussion page of either these two prepositions.

lisaC

How is 给 used in a sentence? (gěi)

个学生

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给 (gěi) is used to indicate the recipient of an action. For example, "请给我一杯咖啡" (qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi kāfēi) means "Please give me a cup of coffee". It can also be used in imperative sentences to emphasize the action, as in "给我讲" (gěi wǒ jiǎng) which means "Tell me (emphasizing the action of telling)".

当老师

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Is 给 used more commonly in spoken or written Chinese? (gěi)

个学生

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