give a present

Meaning

This phrase means to hand over a gift to someone, usually to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday, holiday, or anniversary. It is a warm, neutral expression suitable for any social context. It shows kindness and celebration.

Examples

• I want to give a present to my sister for her birthday.

  I want to give a present to my sister for her birthday.

• It is nice to give a present even when there is no special occasion.

  It is nice to give a present even when there is no special occasion.

• We decided to give a present to our teacher at the end of the year.

  We decided to give a present to our teacher at the end of the year.

• Are you going to give a present to him tonight?

  Are you going to give a present to him tonight?

• She loves to give a present to anyone who helps her.

  She loves to give a present to anyone who helps her.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I will make a present to my friend.

  ✓ I will give a present to my friend.

  In English, we "give" presents or gifts; we do not "make" them to someone, unless we are physically crafting the object.

• ✗ She gave to me a present.

  ✓ She gave me a present.

  When the indirect object (me) comes right after "gave", do not use the preposition "to". Use "give someone a present" or "give a present to someone".

Related Expressions

Practice

• For his graduation, we decided to ___.

  💡 Hand over a gift.

  Show answer

  give a present

• It is always exciting to ___ to someone you love.

  💡 Offer a gift.

  Show answer

  give a present