A few dative verbs take two objects, with the indirect object coming first, followed by the direct object.
哥哥给我一瓶可乐。Gēgē gěi wǒ yī píng kělè. (My brother gave me a bottle of Coke.)
我还她两支笔。Wǒ huán tā liǎng zhī bǐ. (I returned her two pens.)
她送男朋友一双鞋子。Tā sòng nán péngyǒu yīshuāng xiézi. (She gave her boyfriend a pair of shoes.)
As shown in the examples above and below, the aspect marker 了le can generally be omitted with dative verbs indicating completed actions.
Several verbs of action have 给 gěi ‘to give’ utilize the same pattern as a suffix:
弟弟带给我一箱水果。Dìdì dài gěi wǒ yī xiāng shuǐguǒ. (My brother brought me a box of fruit.)
他拿给我一杯水。Tā ná gěi wǒ yībēi shuǐ. (He got me a glass of water.)
他交给我两份文件。Tā jiāo gěi wǒ liǎng fèn wénjiàn. (He handed me two documents.)
Using the same ending as the action verb 到 dào “to arrive,” in this dative formulation, the verb’s subject can be changed into the recipient:
我收到你的礼物。Wǒ shōu dào nǐ de lǐwù. (I got your gift.)
我接到放假通知。Wǒ jiē dào fàngjià tōngzhī. (I have received a holiday notice.)
我得到很多帮助。Wǒ dédào hěnduō bāngzhù. (I get a lot of help.)
Dative verbs that refer to a verbal activity
Some verbs that have to do with speaking can also be used in a dative form:
他们告诉我一个好消息。Tāmen gàosù wǒ yīgè hǎo xiāoxī. (They told me good news.)
妈妈叫我买水果。Māmā jiào wǒ mǎi shuǐguǒ. (Mom asked me to buy fruit.)
学生问我问题。Xuéshēng wèn wǒ wèntí. (Students ask me questions.)
Aspect indicators and dative verbs
The aspect indicators 了 le, 过 guo, and on occasion 正在 zhèngzài or 在 zài can happen with dative verbs but not with 着 zhe.
你吃过挪威菜没有？Nǐ chīguò nuówēi cài méiyǒu? (Have you ever eaten Norwegian food? )
我中午吃了中国菜。Wǒ zhōngwǔ chīle zhōngguó cài. (I had Chinese food for lunch.)
他正在学中文。Tā zhèngzài xué zhōngwén. (He is learning Chinese.)
