Introduction
对 (duì) points an action or an attitude towards someone. The whole 对 + person phrase goes before the verb, where English would put it after: 他对我很好。(Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.) — He's very kind to me.
Overview
Structure: Subj. + 对 (duì) + Person + Verb / Adj.
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Subj + 对 + Person + Adj | 他对我很好。(Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.) | He's very good to me. |
| Subj + 对 + Person + V | 他对我笑了。(Tā duì wǒ xiào le.) | He smiled at me. |
| Subj + 对 + Person + 说 | 他对我说…… (Tā duì wǒ shuō …) | He said to me… |
| 对……有兴趣 | 我对中国文化有兴趣。(Wǒ duì Zhōngguó wénhuà yǒu xìngqù.) | I'm interested in Chinese culture. |
| 对 + Thing + Adj | 运动对身体好。(Yùndòng duì shēntǐ hǎo.) | Exercise is good for you. |
对 (duì) faces someone; 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé) go along with them:
- 他对我说。(Tā duì wǒ shuō.) — He said it to me. One direction.
- 他跟我说。(Tā gēn wǒ shuō.) — He talked with me. Both of you.
- With an adjective, only 对 works: ✓ 他对我很好 (tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo) ❌ 他跟我很好 (tā gēn wǒ hěn hǎo).
- The 对 (duì) phrase always comes before the verb, never after it.
Examples
他对我很好。
Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.
He's very kind to me.
老师对学生很客气。
Lǎoshī duì xuéshēng hěn kèqi.
The teacher is very polite to the students.
我对中国文化很有兴趣。
Wǒ duì Zhōngguó wénhuà hěn yǒu xìngqù.
I'm very interested in Chinese culture.
他对我笑了笑。
Tā duì wǒ xiào le xiào.
He gave me a smile.
运动对身体很好。
Yùndòng duì shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
Exercise is very good for your health.
她对我说了一句话。
Tā duì wǒ shuō le yí jù huà.
She said one sentence to me.
Usage Notes
- ❌ 他很好对我。(Tā hěn hǎo duì wǒ.) — English word order. The 对 phrase belongs before the verb or adjective.
- 对……有兴趣 (duì … yǒu xìngqù) — to be interested in — is the most useful frame here, and the thing you are interested in sits between the two halves.
- 对 (duì) does not have to point at a person. It works for things and abstractions too: 对身体好 (duì shēntǐ hǎo) — good for your health.
- The same character means "correct": 对！(Duì!) — That's right. Two unrelated jobs, one character.
- 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) — sorry — is built from this 对, literally "cannot face you".