Cantonese double object and giving with 畀
Giving sentences in Cantonese have a famous word order trap. With bei2 畀 the thing comes before the person, the opposite of English and Mandarin. Other giving verbs route the recipient through bei2, and a few verbs such as gaau3 教 and man6 問 put the person first. This guide sorts out which order goes where.
Three orderings at a glance
| Pattern | Order | Example verb |
|---|---|---|
| bei2 畀 | verb plus thing plus person | bei2 畀 (to give) |
| sung3 ... bei2 送 ... 畀 | verb plus thing plus bei2 plus person | sung3 送 (to give a gift) |
| gaau3 教 | verb plus person plus thing | gaau3 教 (to teach), man6 問 (to ask) |
bei2 畀: thing before person
bei2 畀 is the core verb for giving. The thing you hand over comes first, and the person who receives it comes last. So where English says give me the book, Cantonese says give the book me. Read it as verb, then direct object (the thing), then indirect object (the person).
English and Mandarin both put the person first: give me the book. Cantonese flips it. With bei2 畀 the thing always comes before the person, so it is bei2 bun2 syu1 ngo5, literally give the book me. Saying bei2 ngo5 bun2 syu1 sounds like Mandarin word order and is the single most common mistake learners make here.
sung3 ... bei2 送 ... 畀: giving with other verbs
Most other giving verbs do not take the person directly. Instead the recipient is introduced by bei2 畀, which here works like the English word to. The pattern is verb plus the thing plus bei2 plus the person. sung3 送 (to give as a gift) is the classic example.
Notice that sung3 送 carries the meaning of giving a present, while plain bei2 畀 is the neutral hand it over verb. When you reach for sung3, gei3 寄 (to send), or maai6 賣 (to sell), remember to attach the recipient with bei2 rather than placing them straight after the verb.
Verbs that put the person first
A small but important group of verbs flips back to person first. gaau3 教 (to teach) and man6 問 (to ask) name the person, then the thing. This matches English here, which is exactly why it surprises learners who have just trained themselves to say thing first with bei2.
Quick decision guide
When a sentence has both a thing and a person, ask which verb you are using:
- Using bei2 畀 on its own? Thing first, then person.
- Using sung3 送, gei3 寄, or another giving verb? Thing first, then bei2 畀, then person.
- Using gaau3 教 or man6 問? Person first, then the thing.
Common mistakes
Putting the person first with bei2
Saying bei2 ngo5 bun2 syu1 to mean give me the book copies English and Mandarin order, and it sounds wrong in Cantonese. The correct form is bei2 bun2 syu1 ngo5, with the thing before the person.
Dropping bei2 after sung3
Verbs like sung3 送 cannot take the recipient directly. Saying sung3 ngo5 fan6 lai5 mat6 is wrong. You need bei2 to introduce the person: sung3 fan6 lai5 mat6 bei2 ngo5. Notice the thing keeps its measure word, so see the classifiers guide for why it is fan6 禮物 and bun2 書.
Using thing first with 教 and 問
gaau3 教 and man6 問 take the person first, so gaau3 gwong2 dung1 waa2 ngo5 is wrong. The natural order is gaau3 ngo5 gwong2 dung1 waa2, teach me Cantonese, with the person before the thing.
