The author analyses the grammaticalization of 'give' with infinitive in causative and modal constructions in the closely related Slavic languages Russian, Polish and Czech. Drawing on extensive diachronic and synchronic corpus data, the study combines a detailed analysis of the current use of these constructions with a reconstruction of their development. General issues discussed include polarity sensitivity in causatives, types of causee coding, the emergence of non-agreeing diathesis structures in Polish and the role of language contact with German.