Does 给 (gěi) Go Before or After the Verb?
给 can sit on either side of the verb, and the verb decides which. Transfer verbs, where something moves to a recipient, fuse 给 after them: Verb + 给 + Recipient. 送给我一束花 (“give me flowers”), 卖给朋友 (“sell to a friend”), 发给你 (“send to you”). You can front the object with 把: 把礼物送给你. Verbs that are actions aimed at someone put 给 before instead (给他打电话), which is the pre-verbal 给 on its own page.
Why this trips learners up
给 (gěi) is unusual: it can sit before or after the verb, and which side it takes depends on the verb. This page is about the after case. When the verb is a transfer verb, one where something physically moves to a recipient, 给 fuses on right after it: Subject + Verb + 给 + Recipient (+ Object). 昨天有人送给我一束花 (“yesterday someone gave me a bouquet”), 请递给我盐 (“please pass me the salt”), 这本书是谁借给你的？ (“who lent you this book?”), 邮件我已经发给你了 (“I've already sent you the email”). Common verbs that work this way are mostly single-syllable: 送, 递, 借, 卖, 发, 寄, 交, 还.
You can also front the object with 把, which keeps the meaning and just puts the spotlight on what's being handed over: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + 给 + Recipient. 你想把这个礼物送给谁？ (“who are you giving this present to?”), 请把那些照片都发给我 (“please send me all those photos”), 我已经把车卖给了一个朋友 (“I've already sold my car to a friend”). Note that when there's a 了, it usually lands right after 给: 卖给了一个朋友.
One verb to just memorize: 嫁 (jià, “to marry,” of a woman marrying a man) always takes this post-verbal 给, 她去年嫁给了一个医生 (“she married a doctor last year”). You can't say 嫁 + person directly (not 嫁一个医生); it's 嫁给一个医生.
Now the flip side, so you know when not to use this pattern. If the verb is an action directed at someone rather than a physical transfer, 给 goes before the verb instead: 现在不要给他打电话 (“don't call him now”), 他会给我写信 (“he'll write to me”), 老板让我给客户介绍产品 (“the boss had me present the product to the client”). That pre-verbal 给, the “for / to” one, has its own page (see the related patterns below). A handful of verbs (like 发) happily take both: 我发给你 and 我给你发 are both fine. Quick guide: if something concrete moves to a recipient, put 给 after the verb (送给他); if the action is simply aimed at someone, put 给 before it (给他打电话).
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
qǐng 请 Other dì 递 Verb gěi 给 Pattern wǒ 我 Object yán 盐 Object
Please pass me the salt (递给, transfer verb + 给 + recipient).
yóujiàn 邮件 Object wǒ 我 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Adverb fā 发 Verb gěi 给 Pattern nǐ 你 Object le 了 Function word
I've already sent you the email (发给, with the object fronted as a topic).
zuótiān 昨天 Time yǒu rén 有人 Subject sòng 送 Verb gěi 给 Pattern wǒ 我 Object yí shù huā 一束花 Object
Yesterday someone gave me a bouquet (送给 + recipient + thing).
qǐng 请 Other bǎ 把 Function word zhèxiē zhàopiàn 这些照片 Object fā 发 Verb gěi 给 Pattern wǒ 我 Object
Please send these photos to me (the 把 version: 把 + object + 发给 + me).
wǒ 我 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Adverb bǎ 把 Function word chē 车 Object mài 卖 Verb gěi 给 Pattern le 了 Function word yí gè péngyou 一个朋友 Object
I've already sold my car to a friend (把 + 卖给了, 了 right after 给).
tā 她 Subject qùnián 去年 Time jià 嫁 Verb gěi 给 Pattern le 了 Function word yí gè yīshēng 一个医生 Object
She married a doctor last year (嫁给, a fixed post-verbal fusion).
nǐ 你 Subject kěyǐ 可以 Function word gěi 给 Pattern dàjiā 大家 Object dú 读 Verb yíxià 一下 Measure word ma 吗 Question
Could you read it for everyone? (the contrast: a directed action puts 给 before the verb).
tā 他 Subject bǎ 把 Function word zìjǐ de jiù diànnǎo 自己的旧电脑 Object sòng 送 Verb gěi 给 Pattern le 了 Function word gāng shàng dàxué de biǎodì 刚上大学的表弟 Object
He gave his old computer to his cousin who'd just started college (把 + 送给了).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 嫁 (“to marry”) always needs 给 to name the husband. “She married a doctor” is 她嫁给一个医生, not 她嫁一个医生. 嫁 can't take the person directly; the post-verbal 给 is obligatory here.
Why it happens: A transfer verb needs 给 to mark the recipient. “I've sent you the email” is 邮件我已经发给你了, not 发你. Without 给, 发你 doesn't say “send to you”; the 给 is what points the transfer at the recipient.
Why it happens: Use 给 once, either before the verb or after it, never both. “I gave him a present” is 我送给了他一份礼物 (给 after) or 我给他送了一份礼物 (给 before), not 我给他送给了…. Pick the side the verb calls for and don't double it.
Compare & contrast
| 给 AFTER: transfer verb (送给他) | 给 BEFORE: directed action (给他打电话) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 我送给他一本书wǒ sòng gěi tā yì běn shū = “I give him a book” (送 transfers a thing, so 给 comes AFTER the verb) | 我给他打电话wǒ gěi tā dǎ diànhuà = “I call him” (打电话 is aimed at him, no thing moves, so 给 comes BEFORE the verb) | 我送给他一本书 = “I give him a book,” where 送 transfers a thing, so 给 comes after the verb. 我给他打电话 = “I call him,” where 打电话 is aimed at him and nothing moves, so 给 comes before the verb. A transfer versus an action directed at someone. |
| 我把车卖给了朋友wǒ bǎ chē mài gěi le péngyou = “I sold the car to a friend” (卖 transfers the car, 给 after the verb, with 把) | 我给客户介绍产品wǒ gěi kèhù jièshào chǎnpǐn = “I present the product to the client” (介绍 is directed at the client, 给 before the verb) | 我把车卖给了朋友 = “I sold the car to a friend,” 卖 transfers the car, so 给 sits after the verb (here with 把). 我给客户介绍产品 = “I present the product to the client,” 介绍 is directed at the client, so 给 sits before the verb. Moves-to-recipient after, aimed-at before. |
Try it yourself
Say “Please send these photos to me.” Use the 把 version: 把 + object + 发给 + me.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
Does 给 (gěi) Go Before or After the Verb? grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.