Sentence pattern · Band 2
给: to someone, for someone
给 + 人 + 动词
给 hands out the recipient before the action happens: make a call for me, buy a book for you. English waits until after the verb to reveal the lucky person; Mandarin deals the card early: subject · 给 · person, then the deed. Read 我给你打电话 as I, for you, make the call.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
The recipient needs 给 to introduce it; a bare person cannot trail the object, and the 给 phrase rides before the verb.
The person still leads the sentence; the 给 phrase follows the subject, it does not replace it.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 给：给谁做 mean?
给 hands out the recipient before the action happens: make a call for me, buy a book for you. English waits until after the verb to reveal the lucky person; Mandarin deals the card early: subject · 给 · person, then the deed. Read 我给你打电话 as I, for you, make the call.
How do you build it?
给 + 人 + 动词
What is the most common mistake?
我打电话你妈妈。 → 我给你妈妈打电话。
The recipient needs 给 to introduce it; a bare person cannot trail the object, and the 给 phrase rides before the verb.
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