English usage and grammar

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"To me / For me" regarding personal opinions (self.english)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by Crul to c/[email protected]

11 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Prepositions are hard, and these are the ones that confuse me the most:

It seems (...) [to / for] me
It looks like (...) [to / for] me
It feels (...) [to / for] me
It sounds like (...) [to / for] me
(...) makes more sense [to / for] me

Questions:

Are both valid?
- If both are valid; is there any nuance as to which to use?
- If they aren't: is there a general rule or is it a case-by-case (as it usually is with prepositions)?

Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am no grammarologist, but here is my take:

"To me" implies you are more passive, and that the thing is happening to you.

"For me" implies that you have some active part in experiencing the thing.

All the cases you described feel more natural as a "to me" scenario, but I can imagine instances where "for me" would be used to emphasize that it is your opinion or your experience.

Not sure if that clarified anything at all 🤷‍♂️

[–] Crul 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Could you add an example of the passive / active difference? Because it's the opposite of what I understood from Hawke's comment.

Thanks for the help!