gibt

Gibt is the third-person singular present indicative form of the German verb geben. It commonly means “gives” when a direct object follows, and it is also the distinctive form used in the idiomatic existential phrase es gibt, meaning “there is/there are.”

Etymology: geben belongs to the Germanic verb family and is cognate with English give and Dutch geven. The modern German form reflects regular development from Proto-Germanic roots and shares its origin with related verbs in other West Germanic languages.

Usage: The existential construction es gibt is the standard way to indicate the existence of something. In this construction, es is a dummy subject and the following noun phrase is in the accusative: Es gibt viele Möglichkeiten. The verb conjugates as gibt regardless of the number of the following noun.

Conjugation: ich gebe, du gibst, er/sie/es gibt, wir geben, ihr gebt, sie/Sie geben. The stem shows a vowel change in some forms, and the present tense is the main form used in everyday speech. The meaning shifts with context: as a primary verb it means to give, while in es-gibt constructions it signals existence.

Examples: Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch. Es gibt viele Möglichkeiten in diesem Bereich. Gibt es hier WLAN? In negation you can say Es gibt kein Problem.