Grammar Explanation
In Chinese, the Indirect Object (IO) precedes the Direct Object (DO). The DO represents what is being transferred as a result of the action, and the IO denotes who is being affected by that action. As in the English sentence “Jack teaches her French.”, “French” plays the role of a “Direct Object” and “her” plays the role of an “Indirect Object”.
Indirect objects occur most frequently with the verb “给 ɡěi” (to give).
| S | V | IO | DO |
|---|---|---|---|
| xiǎomínɡ | ɡěi | wǒ | shū. |
| 小明 | 给 | 我 | 书。 |
Xiao Ming gives me books.
| tā | ɡěi | wǒ | lǐwù. |
| 他 | 给 | 我 | 礼物。 |
He gives me gifts.
| tā | ɡěi | nǐ | shénme？ |
| 她 | 给 | 你 | 什么？ |
What does she give you?