Gives You in Spanish | Say It Right Every Time

Most of the time, “te da” fits, but the best Spanish changes with the giver, the receiver, and what’s being given.

You see “gives you” and think, “Cool, one translation.” Spanish doesn’t play that way. The good news? Once you spot the pattern, you’ll stop guessing and start sounding natural.

In English, “gives you” can mean hands you something, provides you something, causes you something, grants you permission, or even creates a feeling. Spanish often uses dar, but it also swaps in other verbs when “give” feels too broad. Spanish also forces you to show who receives the thing with a little pronoun like te, le, or les.

This article gets you to clean, confident choices. You’ll learn the core form, when to switch verbs, how pronouns work, and how to dodge the common traps that make sentences sound off.

What “Gives You” Usually Maps To

When you mean “someone gives you something,” Spanish most often uses dar. The receiver goes in an indirect object pronoun:

• He gives you the book. → Él te da el libro.
• She gives you a discount. → Ella te da un descuento.

That tiny te carries “to you.” Spanish can also include a ti for emphasis, but it’s optional in many sentences:

• Él te da el libro (a ti). (extra punch on “you”)

When the receiver isn’t “you,” the pronoun changes:

• He gives her the book. → Él le da el libro.
• He gives them the book. → Él les da el libro.

If you want a fast reality check: the RAE’s dictionary entry for dar shows how wide the verb is in Spanish, from “donar” to “entregar” to “conceder.” That range is why “te da” works so often. RAE “dar”.

Pick The Right “You” First

English “you” can be informal or formal, singular or plural. Spanish makes you choose.

• Informal singular: te (to you) → Te da…
• Formal singular: le (to you) → Le da…
• Plural: les (to you all) → Les da…
• Spain informal plural: os → Os da…

Two sentences can both be “gives you” in English, but not in Spanish:

• He gives you the receipt. (to a friend) → Te da el recibo.
• He gives you the receipt. (to a customer, formal) → Le da el recibo.

Word Order That Sounds Native

With dar, Spanish usually puts the indirect pronoun before the verb:

• Te da una idea.
• Le da permiso.

With an infinitive, you get two natural options:

• Te va a dar una respuesta.
• Va a darte una respuesta.

With a command, the pronoun attaches to the end:

• Dame eso. (Give it to me.)
• Dime la verdad. (Tell me the truth.)

Gives You in Spanish For Real-Life Situations

“Te da” is the workhorse, but Spanish swaps verbs when the meaning is more like “hands,” “grants,” or “causes.” You’ll pick faster if you sort “gives you” into one of these buckets:

Hands You Something Physical

If it’s an object being handed over, dar still works. Spanish also likes entregar when it feels official, like documents, awards, packages, or formal handoffs. The RAE defines entregar as “dar algo a alguien” and related senses, which fits this use cleanly. RAE “entregar”.

• He gives you the keys. → Te da las llaves.
• They give you the certificate. → Te entregan el certificado.

Gives You Something Non-Physical

Discounts, time, opportunities, advice, permission, a reason. Spanish often sticks with dar here too.

• She gives you a chance. → Te da una oportunidad.
• The app gives you access. → La app te da acceso.
• That job gives you flexibility. → Ese trabajo te da flexibilidad.

Gives You A Feeling Or A Reaction

English says “It gives you…” for reactions. Spanish often uses dar too, especially with feelings or symptoms:

• It gives you a headache. → Te da dolor de cabeza.
• That movie gives you goosebumps. → Esa película te da escalofríos.
• This smell makes you nauseous. (same idea) → Este olor te da náuseas.

When English “gives you” is closer to “makes you think/feel,” Spanish may switch to verbs like hacer or a phrase like te hace sentir. That’s not “give” word-for-word, but it matches the meaning better.

Common Meanings And Best Translations

TABLE 1 (after ~40% of the article)

English “Gives You” Meaning	Natural Spanish	When This Choice Fits
Hands you an item	Te da / Te entrega	Te da for everyday handoffs; te entrega for documents, awards, formal handoffs.
Provides you access or a feature	Te da acceso	Apps, memberships, tickets, permissions that open something up.
Gives you a discount	Te hace un descuento / Te da un descuento	Te hace un descuento is common in shops; te da works too.
Gives you advice	Te da un consejo	Advice, tips, guidance in one clear “unit” (un consejo).
Causes a symptom	Te da (dolor / fiebre / náuseas)	Body reactions often pair with dar: te da fiebre, te da dolor.
Grants permission	Te da permiso	When someone authorizes you to do something.
Gives you time	Te da tiempo	Deadlines, breathing room, extra minutes.
Creates an impression	Te da la impresión de que…	When something “gives you the impression” or “makes it seem.”
Causes trouble	Te da problemas	Devices, plans, people, paperwork that “give you problems.”

Pronouns That Make Or Break The Sentence

Most mistakes with “gives you” aren’t about the verb. They’re about the pronoun pair that shows who receives what.

Spanish can carry two pronouns at once:

• Te lo da. = He gives it to you.
• Te la da. = He gives it (feminine) to you.
• Te los da. = He gives them (masc. plural) to you.
• Te las da. = He gives them (fem. plural) to you.

The pattern is steady:

• Indirect pronoun (to whom) + direct pronoun (the thing) + verb

So “gives you it” becomes te lo da, not “lo te da.”

A Clean Way To Choose Lo, La, Los, Las

Ask one fast question: what is being given, and what gender/number is that noun in Spanish?

• el libro → lo
• la entrada → la
• los documentos → los
• las llaves → las

Then snap it into place:

• He gives you the keys. → Te las da.
• She gives you the ticket. → Te la da.

Le, La, Lo Confusion With People

When the thing being given is a person (rare, but it happens in phrases like custody, responsibility, or handover), Spanish can feel tricky. On top of that, some regions use le where others use lo for a male person as a direct object. The RAE’s usage notes explain these patterns and where they appear. RAE on leísmo, laísmo y loísmo.

For day-to-day “gives you” sentences with objects, you can keep it simple: treat things as things, and let people be the receiver with te/le/les.

Fast Fixes For The Most Common “Gives You” Mistakes

Mistake 1: Dropping The Receiver

English can get away with “Gives you a discount.” Spanish wants to know who receives it. Add the pronoun:

• Wrong: Da un descuento.
• Right: Te da un descuento.

Mistake 2: Using “A Ti” Without The Pronoun

A ti can’t replace te. It can only reinforce it.

• Wrong: Da el libro a ti.
• Right: Te da el libro (a ti).

Mistake 3: Mixing Up Le And Lo In “Te Lo Da” Style Sentences

If you have both the receiver and the item, you need both pronouns. If the item is “it,” you need lo/la/los/las. If the receiver is “you,” you need te.

• He gives it to you. → Te lo da.
• He gives it to her. → Se lo da.

That last one is a classic Spanish move: le + lo becomes se lo. It keeps the sound smooth.

Want a solid reference for these pronoun choices and the le/lo patterns writers trip over? FundéuRAE lays out the rules and the usual safe picks. FundéuRAE on leísmo, laísmo y loísmo.

TABLE 2 (after ~60% of the article)

Pronoun And Pattern Cheat Sheet

English Pattern	Spanish Pattern	Clean Example
Gives you + noun	Te da + noun	Te da una respuesta.
Gives you it	Te lo/la da	Te lo da hoy.
Gives him/her it	Se lo/la da	Se lo da a Marta.
Is going to give you	Te va a dar / Va a darte	Te va a dar acceso.
Can give you	Te puede dar / Puede darte	Puede darte más tiempo.
Gives you (formal)	Le da	Le da el recibo, señor.
Gives you all (plural)	Les da	Les da instrucciones.

Mini Drills That Make It Stick

Don’t just read. Say a few out loud. Your mouth learns faster than your eyes.

Drill 1: Swap The Receiver

Start with one sentence and switch only the “to whom.”

• Te da el mapa. (to you)
• Le da el mapa. (to you, formal / to him / to her)
• Les da el mapa. (to you all / to them)
• Os da el mapa. (Spain informal plural)

Drill 2: Swap The Thing

Keep the receiver, switch only the noun, then replace it with a direct pronoun.

• Te da el libro → Te lo da
• Te da la llave → Te la da
• Te da los papeles → Te los da
• Te da las entradas → Te las da

Drill 3: Pick The Better Verb

Read the English, then choose te da or te entrega. If it’s formal paperwork, trophies, parcels, or an official handoff, entregar often wins. If it’s everyday giving, dar often wins.

• He gives you the package. → Te entrega el paquete.
• She gives you the recipe. → Te da la receta.
• They give you the award. → Te entregan el premio.
• He gives you a discount. → Te hace un descuento / Te da un descuento.

Real Phrases You’ll Hear With “Te Da”

These pop up all the time in Spanish conversations. Learn a few and you’ll start spotting the pattern everywhere.

• Te da igual. (It doesn’t matter to you.)
• Te da miedo. (It scares you.)
• Te da vergüenza. (It embarrasses you.)
• Te da hambre. (It makes you hungry.)
• Te da tiempo. (It gives you time.)
• Te da la impresión de que… (It gives you the impression that…)

Notice what stays steady: the receiver pronoun sits right there, doing the heavy lifting.

Quick Recap Without The Fluff

If you only take three things from this page, take these:

• “Te da” is your default for “gives you” in Spanish when someone provides or causes something.
• Choose the right “you”: te (informal), le (formal), les (plural), os (Spain informal plural).
• Use entregar when the “give” feels like a formal handoff (papers, awards, parcels).

Once you start hearing Spanish as “to whom + what,” “gives you” stops being a guessing game. It turns into a buildable sentence you can reshape on the fly.