HSK 2
对 N A
duì N A
Is A for N
Structure
Subject/Topic + 对 + Noun/Object + Adjective/Verb Phrase
How it works
The structure '对 N A' is used to indicate the effect, impact, or attitude of something toward a specific person or thing (N). In this pattern, 'A' is usually an adjective or a phrase that describes the quality or benefit of that impact.
Examples
喝牛奶对身体很好。
Hē niúnǎi duì shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
Drinking milk is very good for the body.
老师对学生非常热情。
Lǎoshī duì xuésheng fēicháng rèqíng.
The teacher is very warm toward the students.
运动对我有好处。
Yùndòng duì wǒ yǒu hǎochù.
Exercise is beneficial to me.
Common mistakes
Placement of the negative word: Don't say '对他不感兴趣', say '对他不感兴趣' (Wait, correction: Don't put the negation before '对' consistently in all contexts; usually '不' goes before the adjective/verb, but '不对' as a prepositional phrase is less common than '对...不好'). The most common error is using '给' (gěi) instead of '对' when describing effects.
Tip
Think of '对' as an arrow pointing from the subject to the object to show who is being affected by the description that follows.
More HSK 2 grammar
See 对 N A in real Chinese
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