Where English can say either “give a book to you” or “give you a book,” Chinese double-object verbs only work one way: verb, then person, then thing.
1 S + V + Person + Thing
After the verb, the person (the receiver) always comes first, and the thing being given, taught, or told comes second.
我給你一本書我给你一本书
I give you a book.
他教我中文他教我中文
He teaches me Chinese.
媽媽送我生日禮物妈妈送我生日礼物
Mom gives me a birthday present.
我問老師一個問題我问老师一个问题
I ask the teacher a question.
他告訴我一個秘密他告诉我一个秘密
He tells me a secret.
老師教學生英文老师教学生英文
The teacher teaches the students English.
💡 FYI
Common double-object verbs: 給给 gěi (“give”), 教教 jiāo (“teach”), 送送 sòng (“give as a gift”), 問问 wèn (“ask”), and 告訴告诉 gàosù (“tell”). They all follow the same order: Verb + Person + Thing.
2 Common Mistakes
❌
我給一本書你我给一本书你
✅
我給你一本書我给你一本书
Unlike English, which allows “give a book to you,” Chinese double-object verbs keep a fixed order: the person always comes right after the verb, before the thing.
3 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
01I give you a pen.
我給你一支筆我给你一支笔
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02Tiffany teaches us Chinese.
Tiffany教我們中文教我们中文
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03Dad tells me a story.
爸爸告訴我一個故事爸爸告诉我一个故事
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04I ask him a question.
我問他一個問題我问他一个问题
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05He gives her flowers.
他送她花他送她花
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06The teacher teaches the children math.
老師教小朋友數學老师教小朋友数学
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07I give the dog a bone.
我給狗一根骨頭我给狗一根骨头
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08Mom tells us a secret.
媽媽告訴我們一個秘密妈妈告诉我们一个秘密
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