Chinese Double Object Verbs

What A Double Object Verb Is

A double object verb is a verb that can take two objects in one sentence:

• an indirect object: the person or group receiving something
• a direct object: the thing being given, taught, told, asked, returned, and so on

Classic beginner-friendly examples include:

• 给 gěi — to give
• 送 sòng — to give as a gift / deliver
• 告诉 gàosu — to tell
• 教 jiāo — to teach
• 问 wèn — to ask
• 还 huán — to return
• 借 jiè — to lend

The Core Sentence Pattern

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Person + Thing

The receiver comes right after the verb. The thing or information comes after that. Nice and clean.

High-Utility Double Object Verbs

Rule By Rule: How These Verbs Work

Use The Receiver Before The Thing

With many double object verbs, this is the default order:

我告诉你一个秘密。
Wǒ gàosu nǐ yí ge mìmì.
I tell you a secret.

她教我两个新词。
Tā jiāo wǒ liǎng ge xīncí.
She teaches me two new words.

Measure Words Still Matter

The “thing” often needs a measure word. Chinese loves measure words more than beginners do.

• 一本书 yì běn shū — one book
• 一个问题 yí ge wèntí — one question
• 一条短信 yì tiáo duǎnxìn — one text message
• 一杯茶 yì bēi chá — one cup of tea

他给我一杯茶。
Tā gěi wǒ yì bēi chá.
He gives me a cup of tea.

Pronouns Make These Sentences Very Common

Pronouns appear all the time in the receiver slot:

• 我 wǒ — me / I
• 你 nǐ — you
• 他 tā — him / he
• 她 tā — her / she
• 我们 wǒmen — us / we
• 他们 tāmen — them / they

别问我这个问题。
Bié wèn wǒ zhège wèntí.
Don’t ask me this question.

请告诉他们时间。
Qǐng gàosu tāmen shíjiān.
Please tell them the time.

Some Sentences Also Use 给 gěi Or 对 duì In Other Patterns

Chinese also has patterns like 把东西给某人 and other verb structures, but for beginners, the direct double-object pattern is the cleanest place to start.

Both patterns are useful, but the first one is usually easier to build quickly in conversation.

Useful Real-Life Sentences

• 妈妈给我一百块。
  Māma gěi wǒ yì bǎi kuài.
  Mom gives me one hundred yuan.
• 你可以告诉我你的名字吗？
  Nǐ kěyǐ gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi ma?
  Can you tell me your name?
• 老师教我们这个句型。
  Lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen zhège jùxíng.
  The teacher teaches us this sentence pattern.
• 我想问你一件事。
  Wǒ xiǎng wèn nǐ yí jiàn shì.
  I want to ask you something.
• 他送我一本中文书。
  Tā sòng wǒ yì běn Zhōngwén shū.
  He gives me a Chinese book.
• 请发我地址。
  Qǐng fā wǒ dìzhǐ.
  Please send me the address.
• 我还你钥匙。
  Wǒ huán nǐ yàoshi.
  I return your keys to you.
• 你先借我一点钱。
  Nǐ xiān jiè wǒ yìdiǎn qián.
  Lend me a little money first.
• 她告诉我明天的安排。
  Tā gàosu wǒ míngtiān de ānpái.
  She tells me tomorrow’s plan.
• 老板给我们任务。
  Lǎobǎn gěi wǒmen rènwu.
  The boss gives us a task.
• 我问老师一个语法问题。
  Wǒ wèn lǎoshī yí ge yǔfǎ wèntí.
  I ask the teacher a grammar question.
• 朋友送我一张电影票。
  Péngyou sòng wǒ yì zhāng diànyǐng piào.
  A friend gives me a movie ticket.

Table Of Common Double Object Verbs

Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes

• Wrong order: 我给一本书你。
  Wǒ gěi yì běn shū nǐ.
  Better: 我给你一本书。
  Wǒ gěi nǐ yì běn shū.
  I give you a book.
• Forgetting the measure word: 我问你一个问题。
  Wǒ wèn nǐ yí ge wèntí.
  This sounds much more natural than dropping 个 ge at random and hoping grammar feels generous.
• Mixing up 借 jiè: 借 jiè can mean borrow or lend depending on the sentence.
  你借我钱。
  Nǐ jiè wǒ qián.
  You lend me money.
  我跟你借钱。
  Wǒ gēn nǐ jiè qián.
  I borrow money from you.
• Overusing 给 gěi everywhere: Not every English verb works as a neat double-object verb in every Chinese sentence. Learn the common chunks first, then expand.

Mini Comparison: Double Object Vs Other Patterns

The key point is not “one pattern rules them all.” The key point is that the double-object pattern is one of the fastest ways to say useful things in real Mandarin.

Practice Section

Try building these with the pattern Subject + Verb + Person + Thing.

• I tell him the time.
  我告诉他时间。
  Wǒ gàosu tā shíjiān.
• She teaches us this word.
  她教我们这个词。
  Tā jiāo wǒmen zhège cí.
• Please give me the menu.
  请给我菜单。
  Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān.
• I ask the teacher one question.
  我问老师一个问题。
  Wǒ wèn lǎoshī yí ge wèntí.
• He sends me a message.
  他发我消息。
  Tā fā wǒ xiāoxi.

Now swap the receiver:

• 我告诉你地址。
  Wǒ gàosu nǐ dìzhǐ.
  I tell you the address.
• 我告诉她地址。
  Wǒ gàosu tā dìzhǐ.
  I tell her the address.
• 我告诉他们地址。
  Wǒ gàosu tāmen dìzhǐ.
  I tell them the address.

Quick Reference Summary

• Double object verbs often take a receiver and a thing.
• Main pattern: Subject + Verb + Person + Thing
• Common verbs: 给 gěi, 告诉 gàosu, 教 jiāo, 问 wèn, 送 sòng, 发 fā, 还 huán, 借 jiè
• Natural example: 我给你一本书。
  Wǒ gěi nǐ yì běn shū.
  I give you a book.
• Watch out for: word order, measure words, and the flexible meaning of 借 jiè

Keep Building With Real Patterns

Double object verbs are one of those grammar points that look technical in a textbook and completely normal in real life. Focus on the most common verbs, copy the word order, and practice short sentences until they feel automatic. That is how Chinese grammar gets a lot less mysterious and a lot more useful.

You can compare these patterns with explanations from Chinese Grammar Wiki and broader usage notes in the Cambridge English–Chinese Dictionary or MDBG Chinese Dictionary when you want to check extra examples.

The more often you practice patterns like 我告诉你…… Wǒ gàosu nǐ…… and 我给你…… Wǒ gěi nǐ……, the faster your Chinese starts sounding like a language and not a pile of vocabulary flashcards fighting for legal custody of the sentence.