Basic Prepositions in Chinese

In Brief

Chinese prepositions such as 从 (from), 向 (toward), 对 (to/toward), 跟 (with), and 给 (for/to) come before their object and usually place the whole phrase before the main verb: 我跟朋友吃饭 means “I eat with a friend.” Learn each preposition as part of a sentence pattern rather than matching it to one English word.

Overview

A preposition is a word that connects a noun or pronoun to the rest of a sentence, often expressing ideas such as direction, source, destination, companionship, recipient, or distance. In 从北京来 (“come from Beijing”), 从 introduces the source 北京. The unit 从北京 is a prepositional phrase: a preposition together with its object.

Basic prepositions appear early at A1 because they let you say where you come from, where you are going, who accompanies you, and who receives or is affected by an action. The key word-order difference for an English-speaking learner is that Chinese commonly puts this extra information before the main verb. English says “speak to me,” but Chinese says 对我说—literally, “to me speak.”

Chinese grammar books also call many of these words coverbs because they developed from verbs and can still behave like verbs in some settings. You do not need that history to make beginner sentences. Start with the practical rule: put the preposition before its object, then place the resulting phrase before the main action unless you have learned a specific construction that behaves differently.

How It Works

The basic sentence frame

The most useful beginner pattern is:

subject + preposition + object + main verb + other information

In 我给妈妈买茶, 我 is the subject (the person doing the action), 给妈妈 names the person who benefits, and 买 is the main verb:

我 + 给 + 妈妈 + 买 + 茶。

“I buy tea for Mom.”

The object of a preposition can be a noun, a pronoun, or a longer noun phrase:

• 跟朋友 — with a friend
• 对我 — to me
• 从这个小城市 — from this small city

Unlike English prepositions, these words do not normally stand at the end of a simple question. Keep the preposition next to its object: 你跟谁去？ (“Who are you going with?”), not a Chinese version of “Who are you going with?” that leaves 跟 at the end.

The seven core prepositions

Chinese form	Main job	Basic pattern	Example and meaning
从	source or starting point	从 + place/time + verb	从家出发 — leave from home
到	endpoint, destination, or ending time	从 A 到 B; 到 + endpoint	从九点到五点 — from nine to five
向	direction toward a person/place	向 + object + movement/action	向前走 — walk forward
对	target of speech, feeling, or attitude	对 + person/thing + verb/adjective	对我说 — say to me
跟	accompaniment or association	跟 + person + (一起) + verb	跟朋友一起去 — go together with a friend
给	recipient or beneficiary	给 + person + verb	给孩子读书 — read to the child
离	distance from a reference point	A + 离 + B + distance/远/近	学校离家很近 — school is close to home

A single English preposition can correspond to several Chinese words. English “to,” for example, may become 到 for a destination, 向 for direction, 对 for the target of speech or an attitude, or 给 for a recipient. Meaning and sentence pattern—not dictionary gloss alone—determine the choice.

从 and 到: starting and ending points

Use 从 to mark where or when something begins:

• 我从英国来。 — I come from the United Kingdom.
• 我们从星期一开始。 — We start on Monday.

从 A 到 B pairs a starting point with an endpoint. Both A and B can be places or times:

• 从北京到上海 — from Beijing to Shanghai
• 从早上八点到下午三点 — from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

When 到 introduces a destination before a verb, common patterns include 到 + place + 去/来: 到北京去 (“go to Beijing”). In everyday modern Chinese, however, 到 also very often follows a movement verb, as in 走到门口 (“walk to the doorway”). Treat this post-verbal destination pattern as a construction of its own; it does not overturn the basic rule for phrases such as 从家出发.

向: orientation and direction

Use 向 when an action is directed toward someone, somewhere, or an abstract direction:

• 向左转 — turn left
• 向老师问好 — greet the teacher
• 向前看 — look forward

向 focuses on orientation, not necessarily arrival. 向车站走 means “walk toward the station”; it does not by itself say that the person reaches it. For a completed endpoint, 走到车站 (“walk to/reach the station”) is more precise.

对: the target of words, feelings, and attitudes

Use 对 to identify the person or thing toward which speech, an attitude, a feeling, or an effect is directed:

• 对我说 — say to me
• 他对大家很好。 — He is very kind to everyone.
• 这个对身体不好。 — This is not good for the body/health.

A frequent pattern is 对 + person/thing + adjective: 对我很重要 (“very important to me”), 对学生有帮助 (“helpful to students”). Here 对 is not physical “toward”; it marks the affected viewpoint or target.

跟: with another participant

Use 跟 for someone who joins an action:

• 我跟朋友吃饭。 — I eat with a friend.
• 她跟姐姐一起学习。 — She studies together with her older sister.

一起 (“together”) is common and makes the shared action explicit, but it is not always required. 跟 can also mean “and” between nouns in informal speech: 我跟你 (“you and I”). When the intended meaning is accompaniment, the sentence context and main verb usually make it clear.

给: recipient and beneficiary

Before another verb, 给 marks the person who receives something or benefits from the action:

• 我给你打电话。 — I call you.
• 爸爸给我做饭。 — Dad cooks for me.

Do not confuse this use with 给 as the main verb “to give”: 我给你一本书 means “I give you a book.” If another action follows—给你买一本书—the phrase means “buy a book for you.”

离: measuring distance from a reference point

离 uses a different frame:

place/person A + 离 + reference point B + distance description

• 我家离学校很近。 — My home is close to the school.
• 北京离上海很远。 — Beijing is far from Shanghai.
• 车站离这儿两公里。 — The station is two kilometres from here.

The noun before 离 is the thing being located; the noun after 离 is the reference point. A distance, 远 (“far”), or 近 (“near”) normally completes the thought. 我家离学校 alone sounds unfinished.

Examples in Context

Chinese	English	Note
我从北京来。	I come from Beijing.	从 marks the source.
我们从九点到十二点上课。	We have class from nine to twelve.	A time range with 从…到….
她每天从家走到学校。	She walks from home to school every day.	从 marks the start; 到 marks the reached endpoint.
请向右转。	Please turn right.	向 marks direction.
他向门口走去。	He walks toward the doorway.	The focus is movement in that direction.
老师对我说：“别担心。”	The teacher says to me, “Don’t worry.”	对 marks the person addressed.
学中文对工作有帮助。	Learning Chinese is helpful for work.	对 marks what is affected or benefits.
她对孩子很有耐心。	She is very patient with children.	对 introduces the target of an attitude.
周末我跟朋友一起看电影。	At the weekend, I watch a film with friends.	跟 introduces companions.
你跟谁去上海？	Who are you going to Shanghai with?	谁 remains directly after 跟.
我给妈妈买了一杯咖啡。	I bought Mom a cup of coffee.	给 marks the beneficiary.
请给我写信。	Please write to me.	给 marks the recipient.
图书馆离地铁站很近。	The library is close to the metro station.	离 introduces the reference point.
你家离公司多远？	How far is your home from the company?	多远 asks about distance.

Common Mistakes

Putting the phrase after the main verb

• Wrong: 我吃饭跟朋友。
• Right: 我跟朋友吃饭。
• Why: A 跟 + person phrase normally comes before the main action. English places “with friends” after “eat,” but Chinese usually presents the companion first.

Using one Chinese word for every English “to”

• Wrong: 我到老师说谢谢。
• Right: 我对老师说谢谢。
• Why: 到 marks an endpoint or destination. The teacher is the target of the speech, so use 对. Compare 我到学校去 (“I go to school”), where the school really is a destination.

Leaving 跟 at the end of a question

• Wrong: 你去北京跟谁？
• Right: 你跟谁去北京？
• Why: Keep 跟 before its object 谁, and put the whole phrase before 去. Do not copy English preposition stranding—the pattern in which “with” is left at the end.

Treating 向 as proof of arrival

• Wrong idea: 他向车站走 necessarily means “He walked all the way to the station.”
• Better distinction: 他向车站走 means “He walks toward the station”; 他走到车站 says that he walks to/reaches the station.
• Why: 向 gives direction. 到 can mark the endpoint reached.

Leaving a 离 sentence incomplete

• Wrong: 我家离学校。
• Right: 我家离学校很近。
• Why: 离 sets up a distance comparison, so the listener expects a measurement or a word such as 远 or 近.

Confusing prepositional 给 with the verb “give”

• Unclear or unintended: 我给朋友书。
• Right for “I give my friend a book”: 我给朋友一本书。
• Right for “I buy my friend a book”: 我给朋友买一本书。
• Why: As a main verb, 给 means “give” and the item given follows it. Before another verb such as 买, it introduces the beneficiary.

Usage Notes

In ordinary speech, 跟 is a very common way to say “with” and can also connect nouns as “and.” 和 can perform both jobs too, while 与 is more characteristic of formal writing. At beginner level, 跟朋友一起去 is a natural, dependable spoken pattern.

Chinese often omits information that is already obvious. A speaker may omit a repeated starting point, companion, or recipient, but the preposition itself cannot simply lose an object without context. Pronouns are especially useful objects: 对我, 跟他, 给她.

Word order interacts with time and place information. A useful broad frame is subject + time + prepositional phrase + main verb + object: 我明天跟朋友去上海 (“I’m going to Shanghai with a friend tomorrow”). Real sentences can vary for topic or emphasis, but this frame is a safe starting point.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but you will meet them often.

First, some “prepositions” preserve verbal uses. 给 can mean “give,” and 到 can mean “arrive” or form a result after another verb. This is why identifying the main action matters more than assigning each character one permanent English label.

Second, destination phrases commonly occur after movement verbs: 跑到楼下 (“run downstairs/to the ground floor”), 飞到中国 (“fly to China”), and 走到我旁边 (“walk to my side”). In these result-like patterns, 到 indicates that the endpoint is reached. Compare:

• 向楼下跑 — run toward downstairs/downward; direction is central
• 跑到楼下 — run downstairs and reach that location; endpoint is central

Third, 对 participates in fixed patterns. 对……来说 means “as far as … is concerned” or “for …”: 对我来说，这不难 (“For me, this is not difficult”). 对……感兴趣 means “be interested in …”: 我对历史感兴趣 (“I am interested in history”). Learn these as complete frames rather than translating each part separately.

Finally, 从 can mark more abstract sources or perspectives, not only physical starting places: 从经验来看 means “judging from experience.” 离 can also refer to time remaining: 离考试还有三天 (“There are still three days until the exam”). These extensions follow the same core ideas of source and distance, but their complete sentence patterns are best learned later.

Practice Tips

1. Sort by meaning, not by English translation. Make four groups: source (从), endpoint/direction (到, 向), people affected or involved (对, 跟, 给), and distance (离). Add one personal sentence to each group.
2. Build sentences from left to right. Start with 我, add a phrase such as 跟朋友, and only then add the action: 我 + 跟朋友 + 学中文. This trains the pre-main-verb order that often feels unfamiliar to English speakers.
3. Practise contrasts in pairs. Say 向车站走 / 走到车站, 对他说 / 给他买, and 从家出发 / 离家很远. Explaining the difference aloud is more effective than memorising seven isolated translations.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Sentence Structure — review the basic Chinese subject–verb–object frame before adding prepositional phrases.