Verbs with two objects: give him a book, give a book to him

When you use it

Many verbs are about giving something to a person or doing something for a person: give, send, show, buy, make. These verbs often have two objects: a thing (what the person gets) and a person (who gets it). English has two orders for them, and both are correct:

• Tom gave Anna the keys. (person + thing)
• Tom gave the keys to Anna. (thing + to + person)

The meaning is the same. The difference is in what is more important for you: new or important information usually goes at the end. Tom gave Anna the keys answers the question "What did he give her?", and Tom gave the keys to Anna answers "Who did he give them to?" When the person is short, a name or a word like me or her, the person-first order is very common in everyday English.

How it is formed

In the person-first pattern there is no to or for. When the thing comes first, the person needs to or for, and the verb decides which one.

Bring can take both: Tom brought the letter to me (he carried it to me), Tom brought some cake for me (it was a present for me).

It and them. When the thing is it or them, the safe choice is the pattern with to or for: Give it to her. I bought them for Tom. You may hear give her it or give it her in informal British speech, but in writing and in careful speech use give it to her. To + person does not come before it: give to her it is wrong.

Pronoun forms. Both objects come after the verb, so a pronoun takes the object form: give him, show us, buy them. More about these forms is in the lesson on subject and object pronouns.

Verbs that do not put the person first. Explain, describe, say and suggest never take the person straight after the verb without to: use thing + to + person. You explain the rule to someone, describe a place to someone, suggest a film to someone. Learners often say explain me, but English does not allow it. When the thing is long, for example how it works or what you need, to + person can come first: Can you explain to me how it works?

Tell and say. Tell takes the person straight after it: tell Anna the news, tell me your plan. Say does not: you say something, or say something to someone. The lesson say, tell, speak or talk shows the whole picture. Other verbs have their own fixed prepositions, for example thank someone for something; see verbs with prepositions.

Questions with who. In a question, to or for usually stays at the end: Who did you give the keys to? Who is this cake for?

Later, in the passive, the person can become the subject: Anna was given the keys.

Examples

• Anna gave Tom a book for his birthday.
• Could you pass me the salt, please?
• Tom showed his holiday photos to everyone at work.
• My grandmother taught me this recipe.
• Anna sent a postcard to her old teacher.
• Tom cooked dinner for us last night.
• Can you buy me a ticket too?
• I've got Anna's keys. I'll give them to her tomorrow.
• The teacher explained the new words to the class.
• The company offered Anna a job, and Tom told us the news at lunch.

Common mistakes

• ✗Anna explained me her plan.

  ✓ Anna explained her plan to me.

  Explain does not take the person straight after it. The same is true of describe, say and suggest: the person comes at the end, after to. Пояснила мені puts the person straight after the verb with no preposition, and English explain does not allow that order. Объяснила мне puts the person straight after the verb with no preposition, and English explain does not allow that order. Anna hat mir ihren Plan erklärt has the person in the dative with no preposition. English explain needs to me after the thing.

• ✗Tom gave to Anna the keys.

  ✓ Tom gave Anna the keys. / Tom gave the keys to Anna.

  With to, the person goes at the end. Without to, the person comes straight after the verb. In дав Анні ключі the case ending shows who gets the keys. Learners translate the ending as to but keep it in the same place. In дал Анне ключи the case ending shows who gets the keys. Learners translate the ending as to but keep it in the same place. Tom gab Anna die Schlüssel has the same order as Tom gave Anna the keys, so you can copy it. Just do not add to in that position.

• ✗I bought a present to my mother.

  ✓ I bought a present for my mother. / I bought my mother a present.

  Buy, make, cook, get, find and book take for: you do something for the person, the thing does not simply travel to them. Купив мамі подарунок uses the same case as дав мамі, so nothing tells you to choose a different word in English. If you think of для мами, that is the English for. Купил маме подарок uses the same case as дал маме, so nothing tells you to choose a different word in English. If you think of для мамы, that is the English for. Ich habe meiner Mutter ein Geschenk gekauft uses the dative, like geben. With a preposition German says für meine Mutter, and that is the English for.

• ✗Anna gave to him it.

  ✓ Anna gave it to him.

  When the thing is it or them, put it straight after the verb, then to or for + the person. Anna gave him it is heard in informal British speech, but gave it to him is the safe choice. Both pronouns can stand before the verb, Анна йому його дала. English pronouns have fixed places after the verb. Both pronouns can stand before the verb, Анна ему его дала. English pronouns have fixed places after the verb. Anna gab es ihm puts es first, as English does. English only adds to: gave it to him.

• ✗Can you send she the photos?

  ✓ Can you send her the photos?

  The person after the verb takes the object form: me, him, her, us, them. Here вона changes to їй, and English changes she to her in the same way. Here она changes to ей, and English changes she to her in the same way. German changes sie to ihr here. English uses one form, her, where German has ihr or the object sie.

Practice

The exercises go from easy to harder. Each answer is checked at once. If it is wrong, you get a hint and a second try.