Irregular verb
The verb to give
give → gave → given
A1Meaning: to hand something to someone; to let someone have something · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 10 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they give·he/she/it gives - Past Simple:
gave - Past participle:
given - -ing form:
giving(without the final e)
Conjugation of the verb to give
Present Simple
| I | give |
| You | give |
| He / She / It | gives |
| We | give |
| You (pl.) | give |
| They | give |
Past Simple
| I | gave |
| You | gave |
| He / She / It | gave |
| We | gave |
| You (pl.) | gave |
| They | gave |
All the forms of the verb to give
Present Simple
Full pagegive / gives
“I give my friend a present.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are giving
“I am giving food to the birds right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagegave
“She gave me a book for my birthday.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were giving
“I was giving food to the birds when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has given
“I have already given food to the birds.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad given
“She had already given food to the birds when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill give
“I will give food to the birds tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to give
“I'm going to give food to the birds this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould give
“I would give food to the birds if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to give
1. Giving something to someone
Two possible patterns: give + person + thing or give + thing + to + person.
- I gave her a book.
- I gave a book to her.
- Give me a chance.
2. Giving a present
- She gave me a beautiful present.
- What did you give your mum?
3. Common expressions
Some expressions with give have their own meaning. Give a hand means to help, give up means to stop trying and give back means to return something.
- give a hand
- give a chance
- give an example
- give up
- give back
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I gave to her a book ❌
Choose one of the two patterns: I gave her a book or I gave a book to her. With to, the thing comes first. Without to, the person comes first. Both are correct, but with a short word like her, the first one is more natural: I gave her a book.
2. Giveing ❌
Like make → making, the final -e drops before -ing: give → giving, never giveing.
3. Give up = to stop trying
Give up is a very common phrasal verb: it means to stop trying. Don't give up! means keep trying! Don't confuse it with give back, which means to return something: Please give me back my pen.
Going further
Conjugating to give is a key skill in the English contest
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Related pages: give
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of give?+
The Past Simple of give is gave. It is the same for every person: I gave, she gave, they gave. The past participle is given. Give → gave → given.
Is it gave or given?+
Gave is the Past Simple: use it alone, for an action at a definite time. I gave her a book yesterday. Given is the past participle: use it after have / has (Present Perfect) or in the passive. I have given her many books. A book was given to me.
How do you use give in a sentence?+
There are two patterns, and both are correct. Give + person + thing: I gave her a book. Give + thing + to + person: I gave a book to her. The first one is more common when the person is a short word like her, him or me.
What does give up mean?+
Give up is a very common phrasal verb. It means to stop trying, or to stop doing something. Don't give up! means keep trying! She gave up football means she stopped playing it. It is different from give back (to return something).
Is it give a present or offer a present?+
Say give a present or give a gift: She gave me a beautiful present for my birthday. Offer usually means something else: you ask if someone wants something. She offered me a biscuit.
Updated on 6 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 6 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/give
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.