送 (sòng) looks like a second word for "give," and beginners reach for it far too often. The key is that 送 is never neutral giving. It always carries one of three specific colourings: give as a present, escort/see someone off, or deliver. Handing over the salt at dinner is emotionally flat — that's 给. Giving a birthday present, walking a guest to the door, or having food delivered are all directed, effortful acts — that's 送. Sort your "gives" by whether there's a gift, a journey, or a delivery involved, and 给 vs 送 stops being a coin toss.
Sense 1: give (as a gift)
送 is the verb for presents. Like 给, it takes two objects — recipient first, thing second — and often pairs with 给 as a transfer complement: 送给他 "present to him."
生日的时候，同事送了我一束花。
shēngrì de shíhou, tóngshì sòng le wǒ yí shù huā
For my birthday, a colleague gave me a bunch of flowers.
这条围巾是我妈送我的。
zhè tiáo wéijīn shì wǒ mā sòng wǒ de
My mum gave me this scarf.
过年我们习惯给长辈送点儿礼物。
guò nián wǒmen xíguàn gěi zhǎngbèi sòng diǎnr lǐwù
At New Year we usually give the elders a small gift. (cultural)
Sense 2: see off / escort / take someone somewhere
送 covers accompanying a person on their way — walking them home, dropping a child at school, seeing a friend off at the airport, or showing a guest to the door. Its opposite is 接 (jiē) "pick up / meet."
天太晚了，我送你回家吧。
tiān tài wǎn le, wǒ sòng nǐ huí jiā ba
It's late — let me walk you home.
我每天早上先送孩子上学，再去上班。
wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang xiān sòng háizi shàngxué, zài qù shàngbān
Every morning I drop the kids at school first, then head to work.
我去机场送一个从美国来的朋友。
wǒ qù jīchǎng sòng yí ge cóng Měiguó lái de péngyou
I'm going to the airport to see off a friend visiting from the US.
您慢走，我送您到门口。
nín màn zǒu, wǒ sòng nín dào ménkǒu
Take care — let me see you to the door. (polite)
Sense 3: deliver
For goods moving to a destination, 送 is "deliver" — 送货 "deliver goods," 送外卖 "deliver takeout," 送到家 "deliver to your door."
这家超市满一百块就免费送货上门。
zhè jiā chāoshì mǎn yìbǎi kuài jiù miǎnfèi sòng huò shàngmén
This supermarket delivers free once you spend 100 yuan.
外卖二十分钟就送到了，还挺快。
wàimài èrshí fēnzhōng jiù sòng dào le, hái tǐng kuài
The takeout was delivered in twenty minutes — pretty fast. (informal)
Key collocations
| Phrase | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 送礼物 / 送礼 | sòng lǐwù / sòng lǐ | give a gift |
| 送花 | sòng huā | give flowers |
| 送给 | sòng gěi | present / give to |
| 送…回家 | sòng… huí jiā | see / walk sb home |
| 送…到 | sòng… dào | escort / take sb to |
| 送孩子上学 | sòng háizi shàngxué | take the kids to school |
| 送行 | sòngxíng | see off (a traveller) |
| 送货 | sòng huò | deliver goods |
| 送外卖 | sòng wàimài | deliver takeout |
| 白送 | bái sòng | give away for free |
Grammar notes
In the gift sense, 送 is a double-object verb: recipient before thing (送他一本书), and you can spell out the transfer with 送给他 — the 给 here is the "to" complement described on the 给 "to / for" page. 送 belongs to the broader family of giving verbs, where each member (给, 送, 借, 还, 递) adds its own flavour to the bare act of transferring.
Two borders to keep straight. Against 给: 给 is neutral hand-over ("give me the salt"), 送 is present / escort / deliver. Against 带 (dài) "bring / carry along": 带礼物 means you carry the gift with you en route, while 送礼物 means you present it and the other person keeps it — 带 is about transport, 送 is about the handover.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 送 for a neutral hand-over. "Pass / give me X" at the table is 给, not 送.
❌ 请送我那瓶醋。
Incorrect — plain passing is 给: 请给我那瓶醋. 送 implies a gift.
✅ 请给我那瓶醋。
qǐng gěi wǒ nà píng cù
Please pass me that bottle of vinegar.
2. Reaching for a "go/walk" verb to see someone home. "See / walk you home" is 送.
❌ 我走你回家。
Incorrect — escorting someone home is 送你回家, not 走你回家.
✅ 我送你回家。
wǒ sòng nǐ huí jiā
I'll walk you home.
3. Confusing 送 (present) with 带 (carry along). If the person keeps it, it's 送; if you're just bringing it, it's 带.
❌ 明天聚会，我送一瓶红酒过去。
Ambiguous/off — if you're just contributing a bottle you carry over, use 带; 送 sounds like a formal gift to the host.
✅ 明天聚会，我带一瓶红酒过去。
míngtiān jùhuì, wǒ dài yì píng hóngjiǔ guòqù
I'll bring a bottle of red wine to the party tomorrow.
4. Reversing recipient and thing after 送给. Recipient first, thing second.
❌ 他送给一本书我。
Incorrect — recipient precedes the thing: 送给我一本书 / 送我一本书.
✅ 他送给我一本很有意思的书。
tā sòng gěi wǒ yì běn hěn yǒu yìsi de shū
He gave me a really interesting book.
Key Takeaways
- 送 is never neutral giving — it means present a gift, see/escort someone, or deliver.
- Plain hand-over ("pass me X") is 给; 送 always carries a gift, a journey, or a delivery.
- Gift sense is double-object (送我一本书) and often adds the 给 complement (送给我).
- 送 = the recipient keeps it; 带 = you merely carry it along.
- The natural opposite of the "see off" sense is 接 "meet / pick up."
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- 给 (gěi) — to give / for / toHSK 2 — 给 (gěi) is one word for three English ones. As a verb it takes two objects — 给我一本书 (give me a book). As a coverb it means 'to / for' before the verb — 给你打电话 (call you). As a complement it marks transfer — 交给老师 (hand in to the teacher).
- 带 (dài) — bring / take / carry / leadHSK 3 — 带 (dài) is 'have with you / carry along' — 带钱, 带伞, 带护照 — and with 来/去 it covers both English 'bring' and 'take'; it also means 'lead' (带路, 带孩子). Beware the homophone 戴 (wear accessories).
- 给 (gěi): To / For (Recipient)HSK 1 — As a coverb, 给 (gěi) sits before the main verb to mark who receives or benefits from an action: 给你打电话 (call you), 给妈妈做饭 (cook for mom), 给大家介绍一下 (introduce it to everyone). The 给-phrase comes first — Chinese does not tack 'to you' onto the end.