<p>给 can mean &quot;give (給予/送给)&quot; or &quot;for (為)&quot;</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I found for 给 meaning for, the recipients were a living thing</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That's incorrect, the recipients have to be living beings only when 给 means &quot;give (給予/ 送给)&quot; You cannot give a desk anything because a desk can't own anything</p>
<p><strong>给</strong>朋友生日禮物 = <strong>送</strong>生日禮物<strong>给</strong>朋友 = <strong>Give</strong> a birthday gift to a friend</p>
<p><strong>给</strong>兒子的房間打掃 = <strong>為</strong>兒子的房間打掃 = Cleaning (<strong>for</strong>) son's room</p>
<ul>
<li><p>我要买一些东西<strong>给</strong>我的照相机 = I have to buy something to <strong>give to</strong> my camera [verb + 给 + object]- (X)</p>
</li>
<li><p>我要<strong>给</strong>我的照相机买一些东西 = I need to buy something <strong>for</strong> my camera [给 + object + verb]- (O)</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-07T02:26:51.037Z
2024-10-07T19:40:44.233Z
2024-10-07T19:40:44.233Z
Tang Ho
<p>Maybe like  this:</p>
<p>我需要给我的相机买点配件。
I need to buy some accessories for my camera.</p>
<p>It's OK to use 给 here.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-07T06:29:50.240Z
2024-10-07T06:29:50.240Z
Pedroski
<blockquote>
<p>I wanted to know if (给) it can be used for inanimate objects</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Yes, you can</strong>, by adding a pronoun &quot;<strong>this/that</strong>&quot;, or possesive pronoun &quot;<strong>my/his/her...</strong>&quot; in front of the inanmiate object.</p>
<p>Your original sentence would be fine if modified as  &quot;我要买一些东西给<strong>這個/那個</strong>照相机&quot; - I am going to buy something for &quot;<strong>this/that</strong> camera&quot;. Simiilarly, you can say - &quot;我要买一些东西给<strong>我的</strong>照相机&quot; - I am going to buy something for &quot;<strong>my</strong> camera&quot;.</p>
<p>However, &quot;buy something&quot; for an inanmiate object is a very vague statement, preferrabily, the sentence shall be continued with &quot;such as...&quot;, or change &quot;something&quot; to more specific terms - &quot;一個鏡頭&quot; or &quot;一些零件/底片&quot;.</p>
<p>Note, in verbial conservation, the pronoun can be eliminated with the clear presence of the object, and/or a clear ownership (belong to you/your family), for example,</p>
<ul>
<li><p>小王, <strong>给</strong>(這張)桌子換張桌布 - 小王, replace the tablecloth <strong>for</strong> the table.</p>
</li>
<li><p>別忘了<strong>给</strong>車子加油 - Don't forget fill up the gasloine <strong>for</strong> the car. (the car belongs to you or shared by you with someone else)</p>
</li>
<li><p>到沃爾瑪<strong>給</strong>照相机買個腳架 - Go Walmart to get a tripot <strong>for</strong> the camera. (this is the sole camera belongs to you and/or your family)</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-07T17:45:31.353Z
2024-10-07T17:45:31.353Z
r13
<p>It is correct to use 给 as 我要给我照相机买一些东西.
But it is also common 我要买一些东西给我相机 as oral language.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-07T18:51:49.797Z
2024-10-07T18:51:49.797Z
Lucar
<p>The meaning I want to achieve is &quot;I need to buy some things <em><strong>for</strong></em> my camera&quot; but I'm having a bit of trouble in writing this in mandarin.</p>
<p>I thought of writing 我要买一些东西<strong>给</strong>我照相机, but I don't know if the use of 给 is correct...</p>
<p>Since 给 is a basic grammar topic I thought I would find more resources with more examples, but all the structures I found for 给 meaning <em>for</em>, the recipients were a living thing (person, animals, etc), so I wanted to know if it can be used for inanimate objects and if not, if it exists a simple way of writing this sentence...</p>
<p>Thanks in advance :)</p>

<grammar>
Can I use 给 for inanimate objects?
# Can I use 给 for inanimate objects?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-07)

The meaning I want to achieve is "I need to buy some things ***for*** my camera" but I'm having a bit of trouble in writing this in mandarin.

I thought of writing 我要买一些东西**给**我照相机, but I don't know if the use of 给 is correct...

Since 给 is a basic grammar topic I thought I would find more resources with more examples, but all the structures I found for 给 meaning *for*, the recipients were a living thing (person, animals, etc), so I wanted to know if it can be used for inanimate objects and if not, if it exists a simple way of writing this sentence...

Thanks in advance :)

**Tags:** grammar

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-07. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

给 can mean "give (給予/送给)" or "for (為)"

> I found for 给 meaning for, the recipients were a living thing

That's incorrect, the recipients have to be living beings only when 给 means "give (給予/ 送给)" You cannot give a desk anything because a desk can't own anything

**给**朋友生日禮物 = **送**生日禮物**给**朋友 = **Give** a birthday gift to a friend

**给**兒子的房間打掃 = **為**兒子的房間打掃 = Cleaning (**for**) son's room

* 我要买一些东西**给**我的照相机 = I have to buy something to **give to** my camera [verb + 给 + object]- (X)
* 我要**给**我的照相机买一些东西 = I need to buy something **for** my camera [给 + object + verb]- (O)


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-07. Score: 3

Maybe like this:

我需要给我的相机买点配件。
I need to buy some accessories for my camera.

It's OK to use 给 here.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-10-07. Score: 1

> I wanted to know if (给) it can be used for inanimate objects

**Yes, you can**, by adding a pronoun "**this/that**", or possesive pronoun "**my/his/her...**" in front of the inanmiate object.

Your original sentence would be fine if modified as "我要买一些东西给**這個/那個**照相机" - I am going to buy something for "**this/that** camera". Simiilarly, you can say - "我要买一些东西给**我的**照相机" - I am going to buy something for "**my** camera".

However, "buy something" for an inanmiate object is a very vague statement, preferrabily, the sentence shall be continued with "such as...", or change "something" to more specific terms - "一個鏡頭" or "一些零件/底片".

Note, in verbial conservation, the pronoun can be eliminated with the clear presence of the object, and/or a clear ownership (belong to you/your family), for example,

* 小王, **给**(這張)桌子換張桌布 - 小王, replace the tablecloth **for** the table.
* 別忘了**给**車子加油 - Don't forget fill up the gasloine **for** the car. (the car belongs to you or shared by you with someone else)
* 到沃爾瑪**給**照相机買個腳架 - Go Walmart to get a tripot **for** the camera. (this is the sole camera belongs to you and/or your family)


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### Answer by username_4 on 2024-10-07. Score: 0

It is correct to use 给 as 我要给我照相机买一些东西.
But it is also common 我要买一些东西给我相机 as oral language.


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