禮物的英文「present」和「gift」有什麼分別？

Gift and present are used interchangeably these days. Generally speaking, it means the same thing, but there are some differences between the two.

PRESENT– something you give someone on a special occasion or to thank them for something.

In everyday English, especially in Britain, people usually say present rather than gift.

"present" is the more limited word, usually Christmas/birthday/wedding etc present.

GIFT is something that you give to someone as a sign of friendship, love, respect or as part of a formal ceremony.

Christmas/birthday/wedding etc gift

If something is given for no special reason but that you want to it is a gift.
Enjoy a free gift with any purchase of $5 or more.

A Gift may be much more valuable than a present. It usually passes from the rich to the charity organization, university, hospital … etc., or from the high to the low.

A tycoon made a $1,000,000 gift to charity.
In the hall of art gallery was a magnificent vase, which was a gift from a Chinese businessman.
It was a gift to the US from the Chinese people.

gift shop, gift certificate, free gift
(You can’t replace the word “gift” with “present”)

You may as well say that all presents are gifts but not all gifts are presents.

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正如很多人都發覺今時今日其實是interchangable，不過，我試從一些實用的例子給你講解一下使用上的微妙之處：

Christmas Present
Christmas Gift
在使用上是不會用/寫Chrismas Gift這個名詞寫法的，但是聖誕節朋友間交換禮物卻只會用/寫/講是Exchange gifts in Christmas.
而家人之間或正正式式的送給人的聖誕禮物，則一定叫/寫做Christmas Present.

I cannot decide what present to give to my boyfriend/girlfriend for Christmas.
I've recevied a beautiful sweater as Christmas present from my father/mother/wife/husband.

所以除了是formal/informal寫法與否的關係外，亦是formal/informal處境或者是importance重要(關係上)的程度的分享。當然最古老(或幼稚)的說法是以大小(實際size)來決定亦可以的。

但亦有些好像exception的
例如你上司退休你們同事送他的是Farewell gift，不是Farewell present.
反而你們送他的生日禮物卻應該叫做Birthday present，而不是Birthday gift.

希望你能領悟少少何時用gift或present的精妙所在。

禮物的英文「present」和「gift= same. The only difference is that
gift is a noun and cannot be used as a verb.

Do you like this present /gift?

I like this present/ gift very much.

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PRESENT - can be used as a verb or adjective

He presents the opening ceremony speech to us.= verb
He will be present at the seminar tomorrow = adjective
Can you count how many peoples are present today ? = adjective.


GIFT -can be used as adjective too but not verb.

He is gifted in Music. = adjective
She is gifted with a sweet lovely voice. = adjective

Present/present/gift, give/gift/present are used slightly differently:
to give someone a gift/present,
to present someone with a present/gift. (more formal)

'Gift' gives more figurative meaning than 'present'.

When something is easy to do, it is a gift.
The math test today is a gift.
At $100, the watch is a gift.

2012-01-04 05:22:21 補充：
Natural ability is a gift, a great gift for music, a gifted artist, etc.

From nature, the gift of life, the gift of nature.

present 是比較formal的字,gift比較口語

present是比較正統的英文,gift在字眼上比較不太正經的英文,嚴格來講沒有分別.我建議用present.

禮物的英文「present」和「gift」沒有任何分別﹗