What are common mistakes with 주다/받다?

Confusing 에게 (to) with 에게서 (from). Forgetting 주다 in benefactive constructions. Wrong particle choice. EN speakers: English 'give/receive' have simpler particle structure ('to/from'). Korean 에게/에게서 distinction is new. Benefactive -아/어 주다 has no direct English parallel. DE speakers: German Dativ ('Ich gebe dir') maps somewhat to 에게 pattern. But Korean 받다 requires 에게서 while German uses 'von' + Dativ. RU speakers: Russian dative (дать кому) helps with 에게. But Russian 'получить от кого' needs Korean 에게서. Benefactive pattern is unfamiliar. CS speakers: Czech dative (dát komu) parallels 에게 well. 'Dostat od koho' maps to 에게서. -아/어 주다 benefactive is a new concept.

주다/받다: rules, examples & exercises | Korean Grammar A1

주다/받다

A1 — 동사

Giving and receiving verbs (주다/받다) and the benefactive -아/어 주다

I can express giving, receiving, and doing favors using 주다/받다 and -아/어 주다

Giving and receiving verbs (주다/받다) and the benefactive -아/어 주다

Examples

친구에게 생일 선물을 줬어요. — I gave a birthday present to my friend.
부모님에게서 편지를 받았어요. — I received a letter from my parents.
사진 찍어 주세요. — Please take a photo (for me).
엄마가 케이크를 만들어 줬어요. — Mom made a cake for me.
이 책을 빌려 줄 수 있어요? — Can you lend me this book?

동사A1

Giving & Receiving

Giving and receiving verbs (주다/받다) and the benefactive -아/어 주다

Learning Goal

I can express giving, receiving, and doing favors using 주다/받다 and -아/어 주다

Exam Skills:듣기읽기

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

친구에게 생일 선물을 줬어요.

I gave a birthday present to my friend.

부모님에게서 편지를 받았어요.

I received a letter from my parents.

사진 찍어 주세요.

Please take a photo (for me).

엄마가 케이크를 만들어 줬어요.

Mom made a cake for me.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

주다/받다 (Giving & Receiving)

Two essential verbs for exchanging things and favors in Korean.

Verb	Meaning	Polite form	Pattern
주다	to give	줘요	A가 B에게 C를 줘요
받다	to receive	받아요	A가 B에게서 C를 받아요

Particles: 에게 = to (person), 에게서 = from (person). Casual: 한테/한테서.

Example	Translation
친구에게 선물을 줬어요.	I gave a gift to my friend.
친구에게서 선물을 받았어요.	I received a gift from my friend.

Benefactive -아/어 주다: Add 주다 after another verb to mean "do [something] FOR someone":

Base verb	+ 주다	Meaning
사다 (buy)	사 줘요	buy for someone
만들다 (make)	만들어 줘요	make for someone
가르치다 (teach)	가르쳐 줘요	teach for someone

Common request: verb + -아/어 주세요 (please do ... for me): 사진 찍어 주세요 (Please take a photo for me).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Confuse 에게 (to) with 에게서 (from). Forget 주다 in benefactive constructions.

Common Error Patterns

Confused 에게 (to) with 에게서 (from)

에게 = to a person (giving direction). 에게서 = from a person (receiving source)

Omitted 주다 in benefactive construction

Add 주다 after -아/어 to express 'do for someone': 사 주다 (buy for), 만들어 주다 (make for)

친구에게 생일 선물을 줬어요.

I gave a birthday present to my friend.

에게 = to (person). 줬어요 = gave (past of 주다). Pattern: [person]에게 [thing]을/를 주다.

부모님에게서 편지를 받았어요.

I received a letter from my parents.

에게서 = from (person). 받았어요 = received (past of 받다).

사진 찍어 주세요.

Please take a photo (for me).

찍다 (take/snap) + -어 주세요 (please do for me). Benefactive -아/어 주다 in polite request form.

엄마가 케이크를 만들어 줬어요.

Mom made a cake for me.

만들다 (make) + -어 줬어요 (did for someone, past). The benefactive implies doing a favor.

이 책을 빌려 줄 수 있어요?

Can you lend me this book?

빌리다 (borrow/lend) + -어 줄 수 있어요 (can you do for me?). Combines benefactive with -(으)ㄹ 수 있다.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

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Put it into practice

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Frequently asked questions

When is 주다/받다 used?: Two essential verbs for exchanging things and favors in Korean.
How is 주다/받다 formed?: Particles: 에게 = to (person), 에게서 = from (person). Casual: 한테/한테서. Benefactive -아/어 주다: Add 주다 after another verb to mean "do [something] FOR someone": Common request: verb + -아/어 주세요 (please do ... for me): 사진 찍어 주세요 (Please take a photo for me).
What are common mistakes with 주다/받다?: Confusing 에게 (to) with 에게서 (from). Forgetting 주다 in benefactive constructions. Wrong particle choice. EN speakers: English 'give/receive' have simpler particle structure ('to/from'). Korean 에게/에게서 distinction is new. Benefactive -아/어 주다 has no direct English parallel. DE speakers: German Dativ ('Ich gebe dir') maps somewhat to 에게 pattern. But Korean 받다 requires 에게서 while German uses 'von' + Dativ. RU speakers: Russian dative (дать кому) helps with 에게. But Russian 'получить от кого' needs Korean 에게서. Benefactive pattern is unfamiliar. CS speakers: Czech dative (dát komu) parallels 에게 well. 'Dostat od koho' maps to 에게서. -아/어 주다 benefactive is a new concept.