Questions & Answers about qǐng gěi wǒ kuàizi.
What does each part of 请给我筷子。 do grammatically?
Here is the basic breakdown:
- 请 = please here; it makes the request polite
- 给 = give
- 我 = me
- 筷子 = chopsticks
So the sentence follows this pattern:
请 + 给 + recipient + thing
In other words, Mandarin is literally saying something like Please give me chopsticks.
Why is 我 before 筷子?
Because with 给, Mandarin normally puts the person receiving something before the thing being given:
给 + 人 + 东西
= give + person + thing
So:
- 给我筷子 = give me chopsticks
Not:
- 给筷子我 — this is not the normal order
A more advanced alternative pattern does exist, such as 把筷子给我, but for this sentence the normal order is 给我筷子.
Why is there no word for a, an, or the?