Nǐ míngtiān ___ wǒ dǎ diànhuà. Wǒ yào ___ nǐ yìqǐ qù chāoshì.
你 明天 ___ 我 打 电话。 我 要 ___ 你 一起 去 超市。
Please call me tomorrow. I want to go to the supermarket with you.
A. 跟 (gēn) ,给 (gěi)
B. 给 (gěi) ,和 (hé)
C. 跟 (gēn) ,和 (hé)
Correct Answer: B
“给(gěi)”
In the Chinese language, “给(gěi)” is most frequently used as the verb “to give.”
Example
Gěi wǒ yìbēi chá.
给 我 一杯 茶。
Please give me a cup of tea.
But in phrases such as, “给你打电话 (gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà) give you a call,” “给他写信 (gěi tā xiěxìn) write to him,” etc, “给(gěi)” is used as a preposition meaning “to; for” and the structure is:
Subject + “给(gěi)” + … + Verb
In this structure, the action is produced by the subject and here “给 (gěi)” is used to introduce the recipient of the action.
Examples
Linda: Nǐ zěnme zhème jǐnzhāng?
Linda:你 怎么 这么 紧张?
Linda: Why are you so nervous?
Zhāng Míng: Yīnwèi wǒ yào gěi lǐngdǎo huìbào gōngzuò.
张 明:因为 我 要 给 领导 汇报 工作。
Zhang Ming: I need to report my job to my leader.
Wǒ gěi nǐ chàng shǒu gē ba!
我 给 你 唱 首 歌 吧!
Let me sing a song for you!
“跟(gēn)” & “和(hé)”
In the Chinese language, “跟 (gēn)” can be used as a verb meaning “to follow.”
Example
Gēn wǒ lái!
跟 我 来!
Follow me!
But when it is used as a conjunction, “跟 (gēn)” shares the same meaning and usage with “和 (hé),” which means “and.”
The structure is: A + 跟(gēn)/和(hé) + B
But “跟(gēn)” is usually used more often in spoken Chinese.
Examples
July gēn/hé Cindy shì shuāngbāotāi.
July 跟/和 Cindy 是 双胞胎。
July and Cindy are twin sisters.
Jim gēn/hé Zhào Wěi zhèngzài dǎ lánqiú
Jim 跟/和 赵 伟 正在 打 篮球。
Jim and Zhao Wei are playing basketball.
Both “跟 (gēn)” and “和 (hé)” can be used as prepositions meaning “with” or “together with.”
The structure is: Subject1 + 跟(gēn)/和(hé)+ Subject1 + Verb
We can use the structure to express “doing something with somebody.”
Examples
David: Nǐ néng gēn/hé wǒ qù yīyuàn ma?
David:你 能 跟/和 我 去 医院 吗?
David: Can you go to the hospital with me?
Lǐ Píng: Hǎo de.
李 萍:好 的。
Li Ping: Okay.
Tā xiǎng gēn/hé fùmǔ zhù zài yìqǐ.
她 想 跟/和 父母 住 在 一起。
She wants to live with her parents.