Scene 19GrammarPremium

Wir geben ihr ein Geschenk

Recipients, personal pronouns and presents

Who receives the thing?

With , the thing given is an accusative object, and the person who receives it is dative: . A name such as does not change, but a pronoun does: . Keep the person and the thing separate.

Pronouns for the recipientTap a word to hear itTap a word to hear it and see its meaning
Person	Dative	Meaning
		to me
to me
		to you, informal
to you, informal
		to him
to him
		to her
to her
		to us
to us
		to you, several people
to you, several people
		to them
to them
		to you, polite
to you, polite

The forms of

changes e to i with and the 3rd person singular, just as does. The other forms keep e. The receiver does not choose the verb ending; the subject still does.

The present of Tap a word to hear itTap a word to hear it
Person	Form

A gift for someone

takes the accusative: , , , , , . Formal keeps its capital. You can describe the purpose with and the actual recipient with : .

Make the words do different jobs

With a pronoun for the receiver, a useful order is . When both objects are pronouns, the thing comes first: . Learn this small contrast with a concrete thing; you do not need to rearrange every part of a long sentence.

Ich gebe dir das Geld.I give you the money.
Greta gibt ihm eine Tasse Tee.Greta gives him a cup of tea.
Das Geschenk ist für sie.The gift is for her.

Practice 1/5 · Finding words

Notice the useful forms

Tap the recipient pronouns and every form of geben.

.
I give you the book.
.
You give him the cup.
.
Greta gives her the cake.
.
We give you the money (several people).
.
You give us the photos (several people).
.
They give them the gift.

Practice 2/5 · The right form

Choose the receiver’s pronoun

Choose the right word for the gap.

Ich gebe das Buch.
I give you the book.
Lotte gibt das Foto.
Lotte gives me the photo.
Greta gibt Jonas Tee. Sie gibt eine Tasse.
Greta gives Jonas tea. She gives him a cup.
Wir geben Lotte ein Geschenk. Wir geben ein Buch.
We give Lotte a present. We give her a book.
Ihr gebt das Geld.
You give us the money (several people).
Wir geben die Fotos.
We give you the photos (several people).
Die Gäste bekommen Tee. Greta gibt Tee.
The guests get tea. Greta gives them tea.
Ich gebe das Geld, Frau Lehmann.
I give you the money, Mrs Lehmann.

The subject still chooses the verb

Choose the right word for the gap.

Ich Lotte ein Geschenk.
I give Lotte a present.
Du mir das Buch.
You give me the book.
Jonas ihr das Geld.
Jonas gives her the money.
Wir euch die Fotos.
We give you the photos (several people).
Ihr uns die Tassen.
You give us the cups (several people).
Sie mir die Rechnung, bitte.
Please give me the bill (polite).

Practice 3/5 · Fill the gaps

Complete the conversation

Fill the gaps with the words from the box.

Ich das Buch. Du mir das Foto.
I give you the book. You give me the photo.
Greta Tee. Wir das Geld.
Greta gives him tea. We give her the money.
Ihr die Tassen. Wir geben den Kuchen.
You give us the cups (several people). We give you the cake (several people).
Ich gebe die Rechnung. Sie geben das Geld.
I give you the bill. You give me the money (polite).
Die Gäste bekommen die Fotos. Wir geben die Fotos.
The guests get the photos. We give them the photos.

Practice 4/5 · Building sentences

Put the message together

Put the words in order.

The gift is for Lotte.
Greta gives me a cup of tea.
We give her the book.
I give it to you.

Practice 5/5 · In situations

Respond to the situation

Choose the right words for the situation.

The gift seller is waiting for payment. You hand her the money politely.
You say:
The gift seller is waiting for payment. You hand her the money politely.
You say:
You and Jonas agree on a present for Lotte. You explain who will receive it.
You say:
You and Jonas agree on a present for Lotte. You explain who will receive it.
You say: