A2 verb #450 am häufigsten 2 Min. Lesezeit

gave

Erklärung von gave auf deinem Niveau:

You use gave when you talk about the past. If you had an apple and you handed it to your friend yesterday, you gave the apple to your friend. It is the past form of 'give'. Use it for gifts, help, or information.

When you want to describe an action that happened before now, use gave. For example, 'I gave my teacher an apple.' It shows that the action of giving is finished. You can use it with objects or abstract things like advice or a smile.

Gave is the past tense of 'give'. It is used frequently in storytelling and reporting events. You might say, 'He gave me directions to the station' or 'The company gave employees a bonus.' It works well with indirect objects, such as 'I gave her the book.'

Beyond simple physical transfer, gave is used in many phrasal verbs and idioms. 'She gave away the secret' or 'He gave up his career.' Understanding the nuance of gave allows you to describe complex social interactions, such as 'The speaker gave a compelling argument' to influence an audience.

At this level, gave is often used in sophisticated figurative contexts. You might encounter phrases like 'The evidence gave rise to new questions' or 'The situation gave pause to the investors.' It functions as a pivot point for cause-and-effect relationships in academic writing, demonstrating how one event leads to the emergence of another.

In C2 English, gave is used with precision to convey specific outcomes. It can imply a sense of sacrifice, as in 'He gave his life for the cause,' or a sense of yielding, as in 'The door finally gave under the pressure.' Its etymological weight carries through literature, where it describes the act of bestowing something of value, whether tangible or emotional, often marking a turning point in a narrative arc.

gave in 30 Sekunden

  • Past tense of give
  • Irregular verb
  • Used for transfers
  • Common in idioms

The word gave is the simple past tense of the verb give. It is a high-frequency word used to describe the act of handing over, offering, or providing something to another person or entity.

When you use gave, you are talking about an action that is already finished. Whether you gave a gift at a birthday party or gave someone your honest opinion, the action happened in the past. It is a versatile verb that fits into almost every conversation, from casual chats to formal business reports.

The word gave has deep roots in the Germanic language family. It traces back to the Old English word giefan, which meant to bestow or deliver. Over centuries, it evolved through Middle English as yeven, eventually settling into the modern form we recognize today.

Interestingly, the past tense gave replaced the older Middle English past tense gaf. It is a classic example of how English verbs shifted from complex forms to more streamlined patterns. Its cousins in other languages, like the German geben, show just how far back this concept of 'giving' goes in human history.

You use gave whenever you need to describe a completed transfer. Common collocations include gave up (to quit), gave away (to donate or reveal a secret), and gave in (to surrender).

In a formal register, you might say, 'The committee gave their approval.' In a casual register, you might say, 'She gave me a hand with my homework.' It is a neutral, highly flexible verb that is appropriate in almost any social or professional setting.

Idioms involving gave are very common in English. 1. Gave someone the cold shoulder: To ignore someone intentionally. 2. Gave it a shot: To try something new. 3. Gave the green light: To give permission to proceed. 4. Gave up the ghost: To stop working or die. 5. Gave a piece of my mind: To tell someone exactly what you think, usually in anger.

Gave is an irregular verb. While most verbs add '-ed' to show the past, give changes its vowel to become gave. Its past participle is given.

In IPA, it is pronounced /ɡeɪv/ in both British and American English. It rhymes with words like cave, save, wave, brave, and shave. Because it is a single-syllable word, the stress is always on the word itself.

Wusstest du?

The word has Germanic roots that are thousands of years old.

Aussprachehilfe

UK /ɡeɪv/

Sounds like 'gave' with a clear 'g' sound.

US /ɡeɪv/

Very similar to UK, standard American 'g'.

Häufige Fehler

  • Pronouncing it like 'gave' with a 'j' sound
  • Adding extra syllables
  • Confusing with 'give'

Reimt sich auf

save wave cave brave shave

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Lesen 1/5

easy

Schreiben 1/5

easy

Sprechen 1/5

easy

Hören 1/5

easy

Was du als Nächstes lernen solltest

Voraussetzungen

give past yesterday

Als Nächstes lernen

given gift forgive

Fortgeschritten

bestow yield concede

Wichtige Grammatik

Irregular Verbs

give/gave/given

Indirect Objects

gave him it

Phrasal Verbs

gave up

Beispiele nach Niveau

1

I gave him a pen.

I handed a pen to him.

Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Object

2

She gave me a gift.

She presented a gift to me.

Past tense of give

3

They gave us food.

They provided food for us.

Past tense of give

4

He gave the dog water.

He provided water for the dog.

Past tense of give

5

We gave them money.

We handed money to them.

Past tense of give

6

I gave a smile.

I showed a smile.

Past tense of give

7

You gave me help.

You helped me.

Past tense of give

8

It gave me joy.

It made me happy.

Past tense of give

1

She gave a speech at the party.

2

He gave his seat to the elderly woman.

3

I gave my brother a ride home.

4

They gave the project a lot of time.

5

The teacher gave us homework.

6

She gave him a second chance.

7

I gave the cat some milk.

8

They gave a donation to charity.

1

The manager gave clear instructions.

2

She gave me a call yesterday.

3

He gave a lot of thought to the plan.

4

The storm gave us a lot of trouble.

5

She gave a performance that impressed everyone.

6

I gave my word that I would be there.

7

They gave an account of what happened.

8

The sun gave off a lot of heat.

1

He gave up his seat on the board.

2

She gave the impression of being tired.

3

The witness gave evidence in court.

4

He gave in to the pressure of the deadline.

5

The movie gave me a new perspective.

6

She gave away the ending of the book.

7

The company gave back to the community.

8

He gave his all during the marathon.

1

The discovery gave rise to many questions.

2

The news gave him pause for thought.

3

She gave vent to her frustrations.

4

The structure gave way under the weight.

5

The lecture gave insight into the topic.

6

He gave weight to the opposing argument.

7

The evidence gave credence to the theory.

8

She gave short shrift to the idea.

1

The king gave audience to the envoys.

2

The architecture gave a sense of grandeur.

3

The silence gave way to a sudden noise.

4

He gave himself over to his passion.

5

The landscape gave a feeling of isolation.

6

She gave shape to her vague ideas.

7

The contract gave him legal standing.

8

History gave birth to a new era.

Häufige Kollokationen

gave a speech
gave a hand
gave up
gave away
gave a call
gave permission
gave advice
gave a look
gave a chance
gave in

Redewendungen & Ausdrücke

"gave the cold shoulder"

to ignore someone

She gave him the cold shoulder all day.

casual

"gave it a shot"

to try something

I've never cooked, but I'll give it a shot.

casual

"gave the green light"

to approve

The boss gave the green light to the project.

neutral

"gave a piece of my mind"

to scold someone

I gave him a piece of my mind for being late.

casual

"gave up the ghost"

to break down

My old car finally gave up the ghost.

casual

"gave a wide berth"

to stay away from

I gave the angry dog a wide berth.

neutral

Leicht verwechselbar

gave vs. give

Same root

Present vs past

I give now, I gave then.

gave vs. given

Participle

Used in perfect tenses

I have given.

gave vs. gift

Noun form

Thing vs action

I gave a gift.

gave vs. gave vs gaved

Regularization

Gaved is incorrect

I gave (correct).

Satzmuster

A1

Subject + gave + indirect object + direct object

I gave him a pen.

A2

Subject + gave + direct object + to + indirect object

I gave a pen to him.

B1

Subject + gave + up + object

He gave up the game.

B1

Subject + gave + in

She finally gave in.

B2

Subject + gave + away + object

They gave away the prizes.

Wortfamilie

Substantive

gift something given

Verben

give to transfer

Adjektive

giving generous

Verwandt

given past participle

So verwendest du es

frequency

10

Förmlichkeitsskala

Formal: bestowed Neutral: gave Casual: handed over Slang: shelled out

Tipps

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Rhyme Time

Remember it rhymes with save.
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Past Tense

Always use it for finished actions.
🌍

Gift Giving

Gifts are 'given'.
💡

Irregular Verb

Don't add -ed.
💡

Hard G

Clear G sound.
💡

Avoid -ed

Never say 'gaved'.
💡

Old English

From giefan.
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Flashcards

Use with 'give' and 'given'.
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Phrasal Verbs

Learn gave up/in.
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Object Order

Gave + person + thing.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Gave rhymes with save. You save something to give it later.

Visuelle Assoziation

A person handing a gift box.

Word Web

transfer gift past provide

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences about things you gave people.

Wortherkunft

Old English

Ursprüngliche Bedeutung: to bestow

Kultureller Kontext

None

Commonly used in social etiquette, such as 'giving' gifts.

'Give Peace a Chance' (song)

Im Alltag üben

Kontexte aus dem Alltag

at school

  • gave an answer
  • gave a presentation
  • gave homework

at work

  • gave feedback
  • gave approval
  • gave instructions

at home

  • gave a hug
  • gave a gift
  • gave help

in stories

  • gave a look
  • gave a sigh
  • gave a warning

Gesprächseinstiege

"What was the best gift you gave someone?"

"Have you ever given up on a hobby?"

"Who gave you the best advice?"

"What did you give your friend for their birthday?"

"Have you ever given a speech?"

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write about a time you gave someone help.

Describe a gift you gave to a family member.

Think of a time you gave up on something.

What is something you gave away recently?

Häufig gestellte Fragen

8 Fragen
No, it is irregular.
No, it is only past tense.
Given.
/ɡeɪv/.
It is neutral.
To quit.
Yes.
Yes, very common.

Teste dich selbst

fill blank A1

I ___ him a present yesterday.

Richtig! Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: gave

Past tense is required.

multiple choice A2

Which sentence is correct?

Richtig! Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: She gave it to me.

Correct structure is gave + object + to + person.

true false B1

Gave is the present tense of give.

Richtig! Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: Falsch

Gave is the past tense.

match pairs B1

Word

Bedeutung

Alles zugeordnet!

These are phrasal verbs.

sentence order B2

Tippe auf die Wörter unten, um den Satz zu bilden
Richtig! Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort:

I gave him the book.

Ergebnis: /5

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