Before you start
Meet geben
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 10 meanings
- (ditransitive) to give (changing ownership) [with dative ‘someone’ and accusative ‘something’]
- (ditransitive) to hand, to pass, to put within reach [with dative ‘someone’ and accusative ‘something’]
- (impersonal, transitive) Used to indicate that something exists (often with a certain property and/or in a certain location). Usually translated as there is/are or there exist(s) [with accusative]
- Used to indicate that something is on offer or being handed out, e.g. food for a meal or items sold in a shop
- (ditransitive, transitive) to communicate (helpful information such as a hint or advice), to signal (in a certain way such as a sign)
- (transitive) to present; to put
Forms
How geben changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | gebe | gab |
| du | gibst | gabst |
| er/sie/es | gibt | gab |
| wir | geben | gaben |
| ihr | gebt | gabt |
| Sie | geben | gaben |
Partizip II gegeben · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Es gibt heute Suppe.There is soup today.There is / there are
- 2Ich habe meiner Mutter Blumen gegeben.I gave my mother flowers.Perfekt for giving
- 3Wenn du mir deine Nummer gibst, rufe ich dich an.If you give me your number, I’ll call you.Verb at the end after wenn
Verb family
Separable verbs built on geben
Add a prefix to geben and the meaning changes.