# HSK 2 Grammar: Double-Object Sentences with 给 (Verb + 给 + Object 1 + Object 2) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2-double-object-sentences-2-g067 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-2-g067 HSK levels: 2 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:37.344Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to form Mandarin Chinese double-object sentences using Verb + 给 + Recipient + Item for HSK Level 2, with clear examples and contrasts. Grammar [HSK 2 · Sentence types › Special sentence patterns › Double-object sentences 2](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2#hsk-2-g067) # HSK 2 Double-Object Sentences with 给 (Verb + 给 + Object 1 + Object 2) In Mandarin Chinese, when an action transfers an item from one person to another, you can attach 给 directly after the main verb to introduce both the recipient and the transferred item in a fixed order. Subject (Sender/Agent) Action Verb of Transfer 给 Object 1 (Recipient) Object 2 (Transferred Item) Example sentence 哥哥送给我一本书。 gēge sòng gěi wǒ yì běn shū . My older brother gave me a book as a gift. Correct target structure: 送给 stays together, followed first by the recipient (我) and then by the item (一本书). **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Is the Verb + 给 Double-Object Sentence? In the HSK Level 2 grammar outline, Double-Object Sentence 2 (双宾语句2) covers the pattern where the word 给 (gěi) immediately follows a transitive verb to introduce two objects in sequence. While basic double-object sentences use a standalone verb like 给 or 教 (jiāo, to teach) before two nouns, many other Chinese action verbs need the addition of 给 right after the verb to clearly show that an item is moving toward a recipient. Subject (Sender/Agent) Action Verb of Transfer 给 Object 1 (Recipient) Object 2 (Transferred Item) In this construction, the verb describes the specific method of transfer—such as gifting, lending, selling, returning, or mailing—while 给 acts as a directional marker pointing to the receiver. Object 1 is always the person or institution receiving the item (the indirect object), and Object 2 is always the thing being transferred (the direct object). 哥哥送给我一本书。 gēge sòng gěi wǒ yì běn shū . My older brother gave me a book as a gift. Correct target structure: 送给 stays together, followed first by the recipient (我) and then by the item (一本书). 同学借给她两支铅笔。 tóngxué jiè gěi tā liǎng zhī qiānbǐ . My classmate lent her two pencils. 借给 clearly expresses lending outward to the recipient (她) rather than borrowing from her. ## Which Verbs and Objects Fit This Pattern? Not every verb in Chinese can take two objects by adding 给. To use this sentence type naturally, the main verb must involve passing possession, control, or physical custody of something to someone else. At the elementary to lower-intermediate stage, a practical group of everyday transfer verbs appears regularly in this structure. - 送给 (sòng gěi): to give as a gift or present to someone. - 借给 (jiè gěi): to lend something to someone. - 卖给 (mài gěi): to sell something to someone. - 还给 (huán gěi): to return or give back something to its owner. - 寄给 (jì gěi): to mail or send a parcel or letter to someone. Notice how verbs like 借 (jiè) can mean either to borrow or to lend depending on context. When you combine 借 with 给 in 借给, the direction of transfer becomes unmistakable: the subject is lending the item outward to Object 1, never borrowing it from them. Similarly, Object 2 is most often a countable noun phrase with a number and measure word, or a noun identified by a demonstrative like 这 (zhè, this) or 那 (nà, that). 服务员卖给我们三杯热咖啡。 fúwùyuán mài gěi wǒmen sān bēi rè kāfēi . The server sold us three cups of hot coffee. 卖给 takes the recipient (我们) as Object 1 and the quantified item (三杯热咖啡) as Object 2. 我已经还给老师那本词典了。 wǒ yǐjīng huán gěi lǎoshī nà běn cídiǎn le . I have already returned that dictionary to the teacher. Shows how adverbs like 已经 and sentence-final 了 frame the Verb + 给 + Object 1 + Object 2 core. ## Forming Statements, Completed Actions, and Questions In this target model, keep Verb + 给 together. To present a realized transfer, 已经 may precede it and 了 can appear after 给 or at the end of the clause, depending on the intended aspect and discourse meaning. A different construction, such as 送了一本书给我, is also possible; it does not follow the displayed double-object order. When asking questions about either the recipient or the item transferred, Mandarin keeps the exact same word order as a statement. Simply replace the unknown object slot with an appropriate question word—such as 谁 (shuí, who) in the Object 1 slot or 什么 (shénme, what) in the Object 2 slot. 妈妈寄给你什么东西了？ māma jì gěi nǐ shénme dōngxi le ? What did Mom mail to you? An interrogative sentence where the question word 什么东西 occupies the Object 2 slot without changing word order. A 把 construction can put a definite item before the verb, as in the ticket question below. If you choose the displayed double-object model, put the recipient before the item after Verb + 给. The model is one useful choice; introducing two objects does not make every other transfer order unavailable. 你把那张火车票拿给谁了？ nǐ bǎ nà zhāng huǒchēpiào ná gěi shuí le ? Who did you hand that train ticket to? Useful contrast: when a definite item (那张火车票) is fronted with 把, only the recipient (谁) remains after Verb + 给. ## Important Contrasts and Common Word-Order Mistakes Keep the target model separate from another valid order: 哥哥送给我一本书 and 哥哥送一本书给我 both work. In the first, 给 follows the verb and the recipient precedes the item. In the second, the item comes before 给 + recipient. Do not force every transfer sentence into one arrangement. 哥哥送一本书给我。 gēge sòng yì běn shū gěi wǒ . My older brother gave a book to me as a gift. This is a valid alternative construction, Verb + Item + 给 + Recipient. It has the same core transfer meaning as 哥哥送给我一本书, but it is not the displayed Verb + 给 + Recipient + Item arrangement. Practise distinguishing the two, rather than treating one as a word-order error. It is also helpful to contrast this double-object pattern with two related structures so you do not mix them up in reading or writing: - Pre-verbal 给 (Subject + 给 + Recipient + Verb + Item): With verbs of making or buying—such as 买 (mǎi, to buy) or 做 (zuò, to make)—speakers regularly put 给 + Recipient before the verb (for example, doing something for or to someone) rather than forcing every verb into Verb + 给 + Object 1 + Object 2. - Pivotal sentences (兼语句): A pivotal sentence uses directive verbs like 请 (qǐng), 叫 (jiào), or 让 (ràng) followed by a person and a second action verb ( telling or asking someone to do something). In our Verb + 给 double-object sentence, Object 1 and Object 2 are both nouns; Object 2 is a thing received, not an action performed by Object 1. Memory rule for Verb + 给 double-object sentences: Keep Verb + 给 together as one pair, name the person (Object 1) first, and name the item (Object 2) second. ## Frequently asked questions **In a Verb + 给 double-object sentence, which comes first: the person or the thing?** In the specific Verb + 给 + Recipient + Item model, the recipient comes before the item. An aspect marker 了 can follow 给 before the recipient, as in 送给了我一本书. Other constructions can order the information differently. **Why do we say 借给 instead of just 借 when lending something?** On its own, 借 can mean either to borrow or to lend. Adding 给 directly after 借 (借给) makes the direction explicit: the subject is lending the item to the recipient. **Can I put 了 between the main verb and 给?** No. In the Verb + 给 pattern, the verb and 给 bond tightly together. Put 了 either after 给 (before Object 1) or at the end of the whole sentence. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 391](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=391) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)