Chinese Grammar: Lesson: Using 跟 & 对 to express “to/with/from”

Really, Lupishu is enjoying learning Chinese with Nincha! It's so effective!

In Chinese, prepositions may have lots of usages. Do you know how to express “to/with/from” in Chinese? Only two words can give you all of the answers!

Rules

In Chinese, both 跟 and 对 are prepositions which can mean “to/with/from” in English. They have similar points and different points. Let’s first look at their common use.

The same usage of 跟 & 对

When you want to imply some kind of communication, you can both use these two words with 说 to express talking “to” someone.

Structure

A + 跟/对 + B 说...

Examples

他 对 我 说 他 喜欢 我。
He told me that he liked me.

你 对 他 说 什么 了？
What did you say to him?

不要 跟 他 说话。
Don’t talk to him.

妈妈 跟 我 说 过 了。
Mom already told me about it.

Using 跟

There are situations that you cannot replace 跟 with 对. For example when using 跟 as a verb for expressing “to follow with” in English or to express learning something “from” someone/somewhere.

Structure

跟 + Object

Examples

请 跟上 队伍。
Please follow with the team.

这里 有 一 只 小猫 跟着 我。
Here is a little kitten following me.

我 跟 你 走。
I’m leaving with you.

我 跟 Nincha 学 中文。
I learn Chinese from Nincha.

Another situation that you can only use 跟, not 对 is when using in comparison. You can use 跟 in the pattern 跟...（不）一样 to indicate two things are similar or not.

Structure

A + 跟 + B + （不）一样

Examples

姐姐 跟 妹妹 长得 一样。
The older sister and the younger sister look the same.

北京 跟上 海 不一样。
Beijing is not the same as Shanghai.

我 和 你 一样 都 没 吃饭。
I didn’t eat a meal like you.

Using 对

Same as 跟, indeed some situations can only use 对. For example, when it is used as a verb, it can indicate direction like “towards”. Or to express “to point to” a particular target. In these situations, you can’t interchange it with 跟.

Structure

对 + Object + Verb

Examples

他 对 着 我 笑。
He laughs at me.

枪口 不要 对 着 人。
Don't point that at people.

对 着 镜子 梳头 发。
Comb the hair in the mirror.

Another pattern often used in daily life is “to say goodbye to someone”. In this case, we usually use 跟：

跟 爸爸 说 再见。 Say goodbye to your father.