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How to use prepositions with indirect objects in Mandarin Chinese?

By: Chun-Yi Peng Fri Aug 30 2024
Mandarin chinese
Prepositions

In this post, we’ll focus on Mandarin prepositions, such as (gēn, with), (duì, to, toward), (gěi, for), 对于 (duì yú, to), 关于 (guānyú, about) that are used with indirect objects or recipients. But what is a preposition?

A preposition is a word, usually preceding a noun or pronoun, that expresses a relation to another word or element in the sentence, as in “the man in the car,” “she arrived after dinner,” or “Did you do it for work?” In English, prepositions with the noun or pronoun usually come after the verb. For example, “I got a gift for you,” where “got” is the verb and “for you” is the preposition plus the pronoun. In Mandarin, however, prepositions and their nouns or pronouns usually come before the verb. Here are some examples:

一起看电影。

(Wǒ gēn tā yīqǐ kàn diànyǐng.)

I watched a movie with him.

花粉过敏。

(Wǒ duì huāfěn guòmǐn.)

I am allergic to pollen.

There are many types of prepositions, based on the kind of relationship the preposition indicates. Curious about how they work? Let’s read on!

Table of Contents

    What are prepositions for indirect objects?

    Like we said earlier, prepositions indicate the relation of a word to another element of the sentence. Consider the following example:

    中文很有兴趣。

    (Wǒ duì Zhōngwén hěn yǒu xìngqù.)

    I’m very interested in Chinese.

    In this sentence, (duì, toward) is a preposition that makes a connection between 中文 (Zhōngwén, Chinese) and 兴趣 (xìngqù, interest), so that you know that the interest is toward / in Chinese. 对中文 (duì Zhōngwén, toward Chinese), in this case, is a prepositional phrase. In a grammatical sense, the preposition (duì, toward) introduces an indirect object 中文 (Zhōngwén, Chinese). Below are some prepositions in Mandarin that work similarly.

    How to use 跟 (gēn, “with”) in Mandarin Chinese?

    (gēn, with) can be simply thought of as the Mandarin equivalent of “with.” The only difference is that the (gēn, with) phrase always goes before the verb, like this:

    A + (gēn, with) + B + verb

    我常妈妈聊天。

    (Wǒ cháng gēn māma liáotiān.)

    I talk with my mom often.

    So, as you can see, instead of saying, “I talk with my mom often,” in Mandarin, you would actually say, “I with my mom talk often.” Easy, right? (gēn, with) is also commonly used with 一起 (yīqǐ, together) meaning “to do something with someone together.” For example:

    我昨天妹妹一起吃晚餐。

    (Wǒ zuótiān gēn mèimei yīqǐ chī wǎncān.)

    I had dinner with my sister yesterday.

    Another way of using (gēn, with) is for comparison, like the example below. Take a look at our other post where we discuss the  (gēn) ... 一样 (yīyàng, as...as…) structure.

    爸爸一样高。

    (Wǒ gēn bàba yīyàng gāo.)

    I’m as tall as my dad.

    How to use 对 (duì, “to, toward”) in Mandarin Chinese?

    (duì, to, toward) suggests a one-way action, meaning “to or toward someone/something.” Here’s how you would use it:

    A + (duì, to) + B + verb

    社会有很多不满。

    (Tā duì shèhuì yǒu hěnduō bùmǎn.)

    He is very dissatisfied with society.

    (lit.) He is very dissatisfied toward society.

    老师说了什么?

    (Lǎoshī duì nǐ shuō le shénme?)

    What did the teacher say to you?

    的影响很大。

    (Tā duì wǒ de yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.)

    He has a strong influence on me.

    (lit.) He has a strong influence toward me.

    中文很感兴趣。

    (Wǒ duì Zhōngwén hěn gǎn xìngqù.)

    I’m very interested in Chinese.

    (lit.) He has a strong influence toward me.

    How to use 给 (gěi, “to, for”) in Mandarin Chinese?

     (gěi) can be both a verb, meaning “to give,” or a preposition, meaning “to” or “for.” When it is used as a preposition, it introduces the recipient of the object.

    A + (gěi, to, for) + B (recipient) + verb

    我明天打电话。

    (Wǒ míngtiān​​​​​​​​ gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.)

    I will call you tomorrow.

    (lit.) I will make a phone call to you.

    In this example, (gěi, for) is followed by (, you), which is the recipient of the direct object 电话 (diànhuà, phone call). Let’s take a look at two more examples:

    我明天发短信。

    (Wǒ míngtiān​​​​​​​​ gěi nǐ fā duǎnxìn.)

    I will text you tomorrow.

    我昨天老师发了电子邮件。

    (Wǒ zuótiān gěi lǎoshī fā le diànzǐ yóujiàn.)

    I emailed the teacher yesterday.

    ⤷FUN FACT! Mandarin speakers from southern parts of China would also say 我明天打电话 (Wǒ míngtiān​​​​​​​​ dǎ diànhuà gěi nǐ, I will call you tomorrow). That is, they have a tendency to use the (gěi, for) phrase after the verb. This is a result of the influence from the southern dialects, because most southern Chinese dialects (e.g., Cantonese, Min, and Hakka) place the (gěi, for) phrase after the verb.

    How to use 对于 (duìyú, “with regard to”) in Mandarin Chinese?

    To use 对于 (duìyú, with regard to) in Mandarin Chinese, follow the formula below:

    A + 对于 (duìyú, with regard to) + B + verb

    对于这件事情没有意见。

    (Wǒ duìyú zhè jiàn shìqíng méiyǒu yìjiàn.)

    I have no opinions with regard to this matter. / I agree (with you) on (with regard to) this.

    对于音乐有很好的品味。

    (Tā duìyú yīnyuè yǒu hěn hǎo de pǐnwèi.)

    He has a good taste in (with regard to) music.

    Tip

    In most cases,  () in 对于 (duì yú) can be dropped.

    How to use 关于 (guānyú, “about”) in Mandarin Chinese?

    To use 关于 (guānyú, about) in Mandarin Chinese, follow the formula below:

    A + 关于 (guānyú, about) + B + verb

    这是一本关于语言学的书。

    (Zhè shì yī běn guānyú yǔyánxué de shū.)

    This is a book about linguistics.

    关于这个议题,我们还需要再讨论。

    (Guānyú zhège yìtí, wǒmen hái xūyào zài tǎolùn.)

    About this topic, we still need to discuss more.

    To sum up

    In this post, we saw some of the most common Mandarin prepositions for indirect objects. These indirect objects are usually the recipient of the direct object. It’s important to bear in mind that, unlike English, most prepositions with the indirect object in Mandarin go before the verb:

    A + preposition + B (indirect object) + verb + direct object

    Many of the uses of these prepositions are idiomatic, so we simply have to memorize what prepositions go with what verbs. Now, let’s put your knowledge to work!

    Downloadable Resources

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    How to use prepositions with indirect objects in Mandarin Chinese~Activities

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