What is a verb with two objects?

It is a verb that takes both a receiver (the indirect object) and a thing (the direct object). Give, send, tell, show, and buy are the core set. You can usually put the person first, as in She sent Maya the invoice, or put the thing first and add to or for, as in She sent the invoice to Maya.

How do I know whether to use to or for?

Use to when the person is a destination: the thing, message, or look travels toward them. Give the keys to her, send the crate to us, tell the news to the panel. Use for when the person benefits from an action you perform: buy a tote for the intern, cook lentils for us, book a desk for the tutor. A quick test is to ask whether the thing is going to someone or being done for someone.

Why is explain me this wrong?

Because explain is not a two-object verb in the give sense. It takes the content first and then to plus a person: explain this to me. Suggest, describe, say, mention, announce, and report work the same way. If the verb is about putting information into words, skip the person-first order.

Can I say give her it?

In informal British speech some people do, but the standard pattern when the thing is a pronoun is give it to her. The pronoun is light and wants to sit next to the verb. The same preference holds for send it to them, show it to us, and buy them for me. If the thing is a full noun phrase, both orders are fine: give her the parcel or give the parcel to her.

What is the difference between tell someone something and say something to someone?

Tell requires the person: tell Maya the news, tell Maya that the barge is late. Say requires the content and only adds the person after to: say the news to Maya, say to Maya that the barge is late. You can also use say with no person at all. Mixing the frames produces She said Maya the news, which is not English.

English grammar · Intermediate

Verbs with Two Objects: Give, Send, Tell, Show, and Buy

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Some English verbs take two objects at once: a person who receives something (the indirect object) and the thing that is given, sent, shown, or made (the direct object). You can usually say the person first with no preposition (She handed the intern the parcel) or the thing first plus to or for (She handed the parcel to the intern). The choice of to or for, and whether the swap is even possible, is a property of the verb, not of politeness.

She handed the intern the parcel.

handed plus indirect object plus direct object, no preposition

What it is

A two-object verb names a transfer: someone receives a thing, a message, or a favour. English has two word orders for that transfer. Order A puts the receiver straight after the verb and the thing after that: give her the keys, buy them a loaf, tell us the truth. Order B puts the thing first and then a preposition phrase: give the keys to her, buy a loaf for them. To marks a destination (the keys travel to her). For marks a beneficiary (the loaf is bought on their behalf). A third group of verbs looks similar but never allows Order A: you can explain the delay to the intern, but not explain the intern the delay.

I sent Maya the invoice. I sent the invoice to Maya. (Same transfer; to because send names a destination.) I booked the intern a desk. I booked a desk for the intern. (Same favour; for because book names a beneficiary.)

How to spot it

Find a verb of giving, sending, telling, showing, or buying, then look for two noun phrases after it. If the first is a person and the second is a thing, you have Order A. If the thing comes first and to or for follows, you have Order B. If a learner has written explain me the rule, the verb is in the refuse-to-swap group.

Pass me the stapler. (order A: receiver me, thing the stapler)
Pass the stapler to me. (order B with to: same request)
I'll cook you some lentils. (order A with a for-verb: cook)
I'll cook some lentils for you. (order B with for, not to)

Tell takes two objects (tell someone the news). Say takes one object plus to (say the news to someone, or say that-clause). Mixing them is the most common two-object error in reported speech.

Verbs with Two Objects Quick Reference

Two-object patterns and which preposition they take

Group	Pattern	Typical verbs
Person first (Order A)	verb + person + thing	give, send, tell, show, buy, make, offer, lend
Thing first + to (Order B)	verb + thing + to + person	give, send, tell, show, lend, offer, pass, throw, bring, teach, write, sell, pay, hand
Thing first + for (Order B)	verb + thing + for + person	buy, get, make, cook, find, fetch, save, build, order, book, choose, pour
To only; no Order A	verb + thing + to + person	explain, suggest, describe, say, announce, mention, report, introduce, donate, repeat
For only; Order A still possible	verb + person + thing, or + thing + for + person	buy, make, cook, find, get, save, book
No preposition swap at all	verb + person + amount / time	cost, last, take (time): The permit cost me £80
Ask	ask + person + thing; of is rare	ask her a favour; ask a question of the panel (formal)
Both objects pronouns	thing pronoun + to/for + person	give it to her, buy them for us (not give her it in careful style)

Common Verbs with Two Objects Examples in English

The two legal orders, then the for-group, then the verbs that look ditransitive and are not:

To-Verbs: Destination

The courier brought us the crate.: bring as a to-verb: us is the destination
The courier brought the crate to us.: same transfer with to
Show the harbour master your papers.: show: person then thing
Lend Maya your spare badge.: lend keeps the thing temporarily at a destination

If the thing physically or informationally travels toward someone, the preposition in Order B is to.

For-Verbs: Beneficiary

I bought the intern a tote.: buy: the intern benefits, and does not receive a delivery in the to sense
I bought a tote for the intern.: order B with for
Can you save me a seat by the hatch?: save as a favour, not a destination
She poured her neighbour a mug of barley tea.: pour: the neighbour is a beneficiary

If you do something on someone's behalf, Order B takes for. Buy him a ticket and buy a ticket to him are not the same idea; the second would mean the ticket travels to him as a posted object.

Tell, Show, Teach, Offer

She told the panel the truth.: tell plus person plus information
She told the truth to the panel.: order B with to; still tell, never say
He taught the apprentices a new splice.: teach as a to-verb
They offered the marina a reduced berth fee.: offer plus organisation plus thing

Say cannot replace tell here: She said the panel the truth is impossible. Say the truth to the panel, or say that-clause, is the say pattern.

No Swap: Explain, Suggest, Describe

Explain the rota to the night shift.: explain never takes a bare person first
She suggested a later sailing to us.: suggest plus thing plus to; not suggested us a sailing
Describe the barge to the insurer.: describe plus thing plus to
He announced the delay to the queue.: announce belongs with the to-only group

A useful test: if the verb is about putting information into words (explain, suggest, describe, say, mention, report), Order A is almost always illegal.

How Two Objects Work

Four decisions: which order, which preposition, whether a swap exists, and what happens when a pronoun appears.

Order A Puts the Person First

The unmarked spoken pattern is verb + indirect object + direct object, with no preposition. The indirect object is almost always a person, a group, or an organisation. The direct object is the thing, message, or favour. This order is compact and is the default when both objects are full noun phrases.

We sent the parish the revised map.

parish is the receiver, map is the thing

Person, then thing, no preposition.

Order B Needs To or For

When the thing comes first, English cannot leave the person hanging: a preposition must introduce it. To is for destinations of giving, sending, telling, showing, teaching, paying, and handing. For is for beneficiaries of buying, making, cooking, finding, booking, and saving. Using the wrong preposition either sounds wrong or changes the meaning (send a parcel for Maya can mean you posted it on her behalf, not that she received it).

Hand the invoice to finance. Book a loft room for the visiting tutor.

to for a destination, for for a beneficiary

Thing first: add to or for.

Some Verbs Have No Order A

Explain, suggest, describe, say, mention, announce, report, introduce, donate, and repeat take a thing and then to plus a person. They never take a bare person between the verb and the thing. The error explain me this is a transfer of Order A onto a verb that does not license it. Cost, last, and take (of time) go the other way: they allow a person plus amount, but they do not add to or for.

Suggest a date to the board. The permit cost us £80.

suggest needs to; cost allows a person but no swap

If it is about wording, skip Order A.

Pronouns Prefer Order B

When the direct object is a pronoun (it, them, this), careful English puts the pronoun first and uses to or for: give it to Maya, not give Maya it. When both objects are pronouns, Order B is strongly preferred: give it to her, buy them for us. Full noun phrases are happy in either order; light pronouns are not happy at the end.

Don't throw it to the intern; hand it to me.

it comes first, then to plus the person

Pronoun thing: thing first plus to or for.

Common Mistakes with Verbs with Two Objects

Incorrect: She explained me the rota.

Correct: She explained the rota to me.

Explain belongs to the to-only group. It can take a thing and then to plus a person, but it cannot take a bare person as an indirect object. Suggest, describe, and say fail in the same way.

Incorrect: I bought a tote to the intern.

Correct: I bought a tote for the intern.

Buy is a for-verb: the intern is a beneficiary, not a postal destination. To would only be right if the tote were being sent as a package (send a tote to the intern).

Incorrect: Give Maya it when you see her.

Correct: Give it to Maya when you see her.

A pronoun direct object sits badly at the end of Order A. Put the pronoun first and use to. The same repair applies to send, show, lend, and hand.

Incorrect: He said the intern the combination.

Correct: He told the intern the combination.

Say is not a two-object verb. Either switch to tell plus person plus thing, or keep say and add to: He said the combination to the intern.

Pronouns, and Verbs That Refuse the Swap

Two traps sit on top of the basic pattern: light pronouns, and a list of information verbs that never take Order A.

When a pronoun blocks Order A

A pronominal direct object (it, them, this, that) almost always forces Order B. A pronominal indirect object (me, her, them) is happy in Order A if the thing is a full noun phrase.

Give her the parcel.: pronoun person, full thing: order A is natural
Give it to her.: pronoun thing: order B
I made them some hummus.: pronoun person plus full thing: for-verb in order A

Give her it occurs in informal British speech; teachers still mark give it to her as the standard form.

The no-swap list

Explain, suggest, describe, say, mention, announce, report, introduce, donate, recommend, prove, and repeat take the thing (or a that-clause) and then to plus a person. They have no grammatical Order A.

Recommend the loft studio to the visiting tutor.: recommend plus thing plus to
He proved the theorem to the seminar, not proved the seminar the theorem.: prove is to-only
Introduce the intern to the harbour master.: introduce someone to someone: two people, still to, never introduce the harbour master the intern

Introduce is a useful exception to remember: both noun phrases are people, but the pattern is still introduce A to B, not introduce B A.

Cost, last, take, and wish

A handful of verbs take a person plus an amount or a wish-noun and then refuse the preposition version.

The berth fee cost us a week's pay.: cost plus person plus amount; not cost a week's pay to us
The briefing lasted them three hours.: possible but rare; lasted three hours is the ordinary form
We wish you a calm crossing.: wish plus person plus noun; wish a calm crossing to you is stiff and unusual

Do not repair these with to or for. They are a closed set, not a model for give and buy.

Quick Check: Verbs with Two Objects

Rewrite or complete each sentence so the two objects are in a legal order.

1. She handed ___ the spare badge. (the intern / it)

Answer: it to the intern

pronoun thing forces Order B

2. I bought ___ a loaf of rye. (my neighbour)

Answer: my neighbour

buy is a for-verb and allows Order A

3. Can you explain ___? (the delay / us)

Answer: the delay to us

explain has no Order A

4. They offered ___ a reduced berth fee. (the marina)

Answer: the marina

offer is a to-verb and allows Order A

5. Don't say ___ the password. Repair the verb or the pattern. (anyone)

Answer: Don't tell anyone the password / Don't say the password to anyone

say cannot take a bare person first

Verbs with Two Objects FAQs

What is a verb with two objects?: It is a verb that takes both a receiver (the indirect object) and a thing (the direct object). Give, send, tell, show, and buy are the core set. You can usually put the person first, as in She sent Maya the invoice, or put the thing first and add to or for, as in She sent the invoice to Maya.
How do I know whether to use to or for?: Use to when the person is a destination: the thing, message, or look travels toward them. Give the keys to her, send the crate to us, tell the news to the panel. Use for when the person benefits from an action you perform: buy a tote for the intern, cook lentils for us, book a desk for the tutor. A quick test is to ask whether the thing is going to someone or being done for someone.
Why is explain me this wrong?: Because explain is not a two-object verb in the give sense. It takes the content first and then to plus a person: explain this to me. Suggest, describe, say, mention, announce, and report work the same way. If the verb is about putting information into words, skip the person-first order.
Can I say give her it?: In informal British speech some people do, but the standard pattern when the thing is a pronoun is give it to her. The pronoun is light and wants to sit next to the verb. The same preference holds for send it to them, show it to us, and buy them for me. If the thing is a full noun phrase, both orders are fine: give her the parcel or give the parcel to her.
What is the difference between tell someone something and say something to someone?: Tell requires the person: tell Maya the news, tell Maya that the barge is late. Say requires the content and only adds the person after to: say the news to Maya, say to Maya that the barge is late. You can also use say with no person at all. Mixing the frames produces She said Maya the news, which is not English.