{"id":51027,"date":"2019-01-28T01:15:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-28T01:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/127.0.0.1\/aee\/aee-1094-sounds-great-to-me-the-difference-between-for-me-and-to-me-in-english\/"},"modified":"2023-04-25T15:46:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T15:46:20","slug":"aee-1094-sounds-great-to-me-the-difference-between-for-me-and-to-me-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allearsenglish.com\/aee-1094-sounds-great-to-me-the-difference-between-for-me-and-to-me-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"AEE 1094: Sounds Great To Me! The Difference Between For Me and To Me in English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever heard somebody say \u201cto me\u201d or \u201cfor me\u201d in English?<\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered which is appropriate or how to use these English prepositions properly?<\/p>\n

Does this sound like a difficult aspect of English conversation?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to help you to break down this specific usage, and then show you what to use when, as well as each meaning. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Today we have a great listener question about the difference between to and for. <\/p>\n

Now, there is more than one answer to this question, but today we\u2019ll focus on a very specific focus. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Hi girls,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been listening to your podcast for about 8 months, and I\u2019m in love with your work. I listen to your podcast while I\u2019m driving to college, and people might think I\u2019m crazy because I practice repeating some sentences for better pronunciation. I am currently at episode 802 and still have plenty to catch up on.
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I do have a rather specific question for you today. What is the difference between \u201cfor me\u201d and \u201cto me\u201d? I tried to Google it to find a pattern, but I couldn\u2019t find anything concrete. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some examples:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

She is a good friend to me vs. she is a good friend for me<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

How special you are to me vs. how special you are for me<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting topic to me vs. it\u2019s an interesting topic for me<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

There is also the cases when it\u2019s used in the beginning of the sentence, like:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To me, this is an interesting topic.
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Both ways are correct, or do they change in meaning ?
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks and once again congratulations on the great working you guys are doing!!
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cheers,
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Antonio Azevedo, Brazil<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Breaking It All Down<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today we will focus on one meaning with \u201cto\u201d and \u201cfor\u201d.<\/p>\n

Basically, FOR me means it benefits you in some way. <\/p>\n

TO me is more of your personal thoughts on something. <\/p>\n

So let\u2019s use Antonio\u2019s last example first:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting topic TO me\u2013this basically means in my mind or in my thoughts so it\u2019s almost like possessive TO me.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting topic FOR me\u2013perhaps it will impact me in some way or maybe it\u2019s interesting because it will help your studies in some way. <\/p>\n

It may be because you\u2019re learning about a place you are going to visit\u2013Learning about Iceland is really interesting for me (for me specifically) because I am going there next month!<\/p>\n

So it has a special or specific meaning FOR you as an individual in this example. <\/p>\n

Could it be to me? Yes. This difference is very slight.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Practice Makes Perfect<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you will see it\u2019s all about getting in practice using these phrases .<\/p>\n

The more practice that you get, the more that these things will sound natural to you.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the next example from our letter.<\/p>\n

How special you are TO me\u2013I have this feeling that you are special, and this is my thought about you.<\/p>\n

How special you are FOR me- maybe you help me in some way that is specific and therefore that\u2019s what makes you special. <\/p>\n

You would most commonly hear TO me, as it just fits and makes sense in conversation. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the final example from our letter. <\/p>\n

She is a good friend TO me \u2013feeling, opinion, thought, she treats me well as a friend and that\u2019s what I think of her.<\/p>\n

She is a good friend FOR me\u2013she impacts me or benefits me in some way. She may help you because she\u2019s outgoing and you are shy, and therefore she might get you out of your shell. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It Can Be Complicated So Take It Slow<\/strong><\/p>\n

So when you think about it, using to me or for me is basically talking about the impact on you.<\/p>\n

It may be the actual opinion or the benefit that you enjoy because of it. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to remember that if you use for me or to me at the beginning, it\u2019s fine but it can tend to sound more formal. <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some chunks to help this be very clear:<\/p>\n