to give along / to pass on
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to give along
To give something to someone who is leaving so they can take it with them, often as provisions or a gift.
Meine Mutter hat mir noch ein belegtes Brot für die Zugfahrt mitgegeben.
My mother gave me a sandwich to take along for the train journey.
to pass on
To pass on a quality, advice, or insight to someone for their path in life or for a particular situation.
Die Eltern haben ihren Kindern wichtige Werte wie Ehrlichkeit und Respekt mitgegeben.
The parents passed on important values like honesty and respect to their children.
to play through
In sports, especially in football/soccer, to pass the ball to a teammate in the direction they are running.
Der Verteidiger hat dem Stürmer den Ball perfekt in den Lauf mitgegeben.
The defender played the ball perfectly through into the striker's path.
'Mitgeben' (to give along / to pass on) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'mit' goes at the end. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Ich gebe dir für die Reise ein gutes Buch mit.
I'll give you a good book to take along for the trip.
The verb often follows the pattern: 'jemandem (Dativ) etwas (Akkusativ) mitgeben' (to give someone something to take along). The person receiving something is in the dative.
Er hat seiner Tochter einen Regenschirm mitgegeben.
He gave his daughter an umbrella to take along.
The object reveals the meaning. A concrete object (e.g., 'ein Sandwich' (a sandwich)) points to the literal meaning. An abstract noun (e.g., 'ein Rat' (a piece of advice)) points to the figurative meaning.
Sie gab mir noch etwas Geld für das Taxi mit.
She gave me some money to take along for the taxi.
In the figurative meaning, 'mitgeben' (to pass on) is often combined with abstract things that one learns for life. Typical phrases are: 'einen Rat mitgeben' (to pass on a piece of advice), 'Werte mitgeben' (to pass on values), or 'eine Lektion mitgeben' (to teach/pass on a lesson).
Diese Erfahrung hat mir eine wichtige Lektion für die Zukunft mitgegeben.
This experience taught me an important lesson for the future.
to take along / take away
With „mitnehmen“, the person acting takes something to another place themselves. With „mitgeben“, they give it to someone who is leaving, and that person then takes it along. The key difference is who transports the item and from whose perspective the situation is described.
Anna gibt Paul das Lunchpaket für die Reise mit.
Anna gives Paul the packed lunch to take on the trip.
Paul nimmt das Lunchpaket auf die Reise mit.
Paul is taking the packed lunch with him on the trip.
