How to Use TO & FOR ⚡️English Prepositions | Common Grammar Mistakes

Well hey there! I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!

嘿！各位！我是mmmEnglish的Emma

Welcome to my channel!

歡迎來到我的頻道！

Notice that I said "Welcome to my channel"?

有注意到嗎？我是說“Welcome TO my channel”

Not "Welcome for my channel"

而非“Welcome FOR my channel”

You're probably here for learning English, right?

你大概是來學(for learning)英文的，對吧？

To learn English, right?

還是來學(to learn)英文的？

Man, those little words 'to' and 'for', they're so tiny

老兄，to與for這兩個字還真小

but when they're used as prepositions in English

不過，當它們在英語句中用作介係詞時

sentences, grammar can get quite confusing!

那文法可能就令人頭暈腦脹

Can't it?

不是嗎

I'm sure that you've been confused by these words

我敢說兩個字曾令你混淆不清

at some point.

我敢說兩個字曾令你混淆不清

So in this lesson,

所以在這堂課中

I'll go over them in a little detail

我會詳細介紹它們

so that you can feel more confident using them

這樣你寫或講英文時

while you write, while you speak in English.

用到它們能更有信心

Prepositions in general are pretty easy to confuse.

一般來說，介係詞很容易搞混

For some of you, part of the problem is that

對於你們某些人而言

with these prepositions, you're thinking about

問題有部分是出在你思考時

the way that you use them in your own language

你會被這些字在你的語言中的用法干擾

not how they're used in English and it can be different.

而偏離它們在英語中的用法

For example,

舉例

Spanish and Portuguese speakers often use

英語中我們用介係詞on與in的地方

the preposition 'en'

英語中我們用介係詞on與in的地方

where in English we use both 'on' and 'in'.

西班牙語和葡萄牙語者則常都是用en

Two separate words with very different uses in English.

在英文中這兩個字個別的用法差異很大

So part of the challenge when you're learning is

因此，學習過程中所面臨的挑戰之一便是

understanding how to use them separately in English

去理解在英語中它們分別該如何使用

and what the difference is, when to use one or the other.

不同點在哪，以及個別的使用時機

Some languages don't really rely on prepositions

有些語言甚至不太需要靠介係詞溝通

much at all. I mean sometimes English prepositions

有時候英文介係詞的使用沒什麼邏輯可言

don't have a lot of logic to them. They don't always

並非總是有規則可循

make sense. And for all of these reasons,

基於上述原因

English prepositions must be learned and practised

學習英文介係詞時必須連同上下文一起帶入

in context with other words.

學習英文介係詞時必須連同上下文一起帶入

So we won't focus too much on each individual

這堂課我們將不會著重於各個介係詞本身

preposition in this lesson.

這堂課我們將不會著重於各個介係詞本身

We'll look at words that they're often used with.

我們將著重於那些常跟介係詞聯用的字詞

And just before we get started, you might be interested

在我們開始前

我製作了其他關於介係詞的課程，你可能會感興趣

in some of the other lessons that I've made

about prepositions. My playlist's up there.

我的播放清單在上面這邊

I've made lessons about in, on, at, by.

關於in、on、at、by等一堆其他介係詞的課程

Lots of other prepositions.

關於in、on、at、by等一堆其他介係詞課程

But back to these two prepositions

現在回到我們今天要談的這兩個介係詞

we're talking about today.

現在回到我們今天要談的這兩個介係詞

Sometimes, using the wrong preposition doesn't affect

有時用錯介係詞對你句子的意思不會有太大影響

the meaning of your sentence too much.

有時用錯介係詞對你句子的意思不會有太大影響

Native speakers will recognise the mistake,

母語人士能認得出錯誤

but they probably won't correct you on it because

但他們大概不會因此而糾正你

they'll still understand you.

因為他們還是能理解你在說什麼

But with these two prepositions, they can often be used

這兩個介係詞在句法上常可相互置換

in place of each other and sometimes,

這兩個介係詞在句法上常可相互置換

但有時候意思完全變了

the meaning completely changes.

So here's what I'm going to do in this lesson.

所以這堂課我要做的是

I'm going to talk about the uses of 'to'.

我會談到to的用法

I'm going to talk about the uses of 'for'.

會談到for的用法

And then I'm going to talk about the times

然後我會講分別該使用to或for的時機

when you could use either 'to' or 'for'.

然後我會講分別該使用to或for的時機

And that's where things get a little confusing!

那邊就會開始有點令人困惑了

Make sure you stick around until the end of the lesson

請堅持到這堂課結束

because later on, I'm going to teach you some common

因為稍後我要教你一些用到to和for的字詞搭配

word collocations using 'to' and 'for'

因為稍後我要教你一些用到to和for的字詞搭配

so you can stop guessing which one you need to use

這樣你就不必再猜該用哪個

and just know which is the right one.

因為你知道正確的那個

And before we get started, make sure you subscribe

在開始之前

記得按下方那紅色按鈕訂閱我們頻道

to the channel just by clicking that red button

記得按下方那紅色按鈕訂閱我們頻道

down there so that you can keep up-to-date

這樣你就能持續掌握最新上傳

with what's happening.

Okay, let's start!

好，我們開始吧！

When should you use the preposition 'to'?

何時該用介係詞to？

So, you can use 'to' when there is some kind of

當提及從一處移至另一處的概念時，就用to

movement from one place to another.

當提及從一處移至另一處的概念時，就用to

Now keep in mind, this doesn't only relate to

要記得，不僅只適用於具體的移動或動作

physical movement and action.

要記得，不僅只適用於具體的移動或動作

It could also relate to other types of movement.

其他形式的移動也可以

We can use 'to' when there's some kind of transfer

to的使用時機包括：當某種轉移發生時

happening or something is being moved

或某物從一處移往另一處，例如一個目的地

from one place to another - a destination.

或某物從一處移往另一處，例如一個目的地

Something is being moved to somewhere or something.

某物在被移至某處

Right?

對吧？

（你通常是搭公車上班嗎？）

So there's movement, of course,

這其中當然有移動的概念

in the direction to work. The destination is work.

前往上班地點，目的地是工作場所

Now I'm going to give you a few other examples

現在我再舉幾個例子

and I want you to pay attention to the destination

注意每個例子中所描述的目的地或方向

or the direction being described in each one.

注意每個例子中所描述的目的地或方向

（若你覺得不舒服，就應該跟醫生說）

（你能不能很快跑一趟店家？）

（他們邀我們去他們家晚餐）

Now if you're talking about distance,

若是在講距離，也應該用to

you should also use 'to',

若是在講距離，也應該用to

since distance is the length or the time

因為距離指從一處至另一處的長度或時間

from one place to another - to a destination.

因為距離指從一處至另一處的長度或時間

（從我家到辦公室只有六公里）

Now we also use 'to' when we're talking about

to也用於描述時間

time and the amount of time between two points in time

以及兩個時間點之間的時間量

Of course, we use it when telling the time, right?

當然我們也用to來報時，對吧？

（再過一刻鐘便是七點）

（再過五分鐘就八點）

When we're talking about one point in time

當提及一個時間點到另一個時間點

to another point in time, we can also use 'to'

我們也可以使用to

（超市從九點開門營業至晚上七點）

（我每週週一至週四研讀英文）

From this time to that time.

從這個時間點到那個時間點

So this is a period from this time to that time.

所以是從此時間點到彼時間點的期間

That's the direction, that's the movement.

就是這個方向，這個移動

Now if there are two things and you'd like

若現在有兩個東西

而你想要其中之一，多過你想要另一個

one of those things a little more than the other,

you prefer it, right?

那我們會說你偏好其中之一，是吧？

You prefer one thing to the other.

你偏好一個東西多過(to)另一個

（我偏好巧克力冰淇淋多過香草冰淇淋）

I like chocolate ice cream more than vanilla.

我喜歡巧克力冰淇淋勝過香草口味的

It's way better obviously!

巧克力口味明顯美味多了

And I would rather have chocolate ice cream.

我更願意吃巧克力冰淇淋

（他偏好騎腳踏車多過走路）

（你偏好茶勝於咖啡嗎？）

Not me! I love coffee!

我沒有！我超愛咖啡！

Okay, what about you now? I want you to

好，現在看你的了

tell me about some of your preferences

我要你在下面的評論中告訴我一些你的偏好

in the comments below.

我要你在下面的評論中告訴我一些你的偏好

So make sure you're comparing two things

記得你是要比較兩個東西

and that you're using the preposition 'to'.

而且是要用介係詞to

I prefer summer to winter, for example.

例如，比起冬天，我更喜歡夏天

Add it to the comments.

把它寫進評論中

Now, we can also use 'to' to talk about the point

我們也可以用to來指稱事物完結之處

where something finishes or ends.

我們也可以用to來指稱事物完結之處

It's the limit that you can't go past.

是無法超過的界限

洪水氾濫期間，水淹到了我膝蓋處

So in this situation, talking about limits,

在這種情況，講到界限

you may also hear the phrasal verb 'up to'

你可能還會聽到片語動詞up to

The water came up to my knees.

水淹到了我的膝蓋

旺季時票價可高達每張200元

during the high season.

Okay I want to check you've been paying attention.

我要檢查一下你有沒有在注意聽

Okay? Time for a quick quiz.

隨堂小考時間～

What are the four different situations where

我們常見的四個不同的to使用時機為何？

we commonly see the preposition 'to' being used?

我們常見的四個不同的to使用時機為何？

The four situations that I just talked about.

我剛才談到的四種情況

Write them in the comments.

將它們寫在評論中

Quickly! You've got ten seconds!

快！給你十秒鐘！

Direction or destination.

方向或目的地

Time.

時間點，或兩時間點間的一段時間

The time between two points.

時間點，或兩時間點間的一段時間

Preference.

偏好

And the limit or the endpoint of something.

以及事物的界限或完結

Right?

對吧？

Nice!

很好！

Let's check out what 'for' is used for now.

現在我們來看看for用在什麼地方

So we can talk about benefits using 'for'.

我們可以用for來提及好處

The positive effects or results of something.

事物的正向影響或結果

So we can use 'for'.

此時就可以用for

For example, one of the benefits of eating ginger

比如說，食用薑的好處之一是

is that it helps your immune system.

它對你的免疫系統有益

So..

所以

（薑對你的免疫系統很好）

（每天運動對你的健康很好）

Right? That's a benefit.

那是好處沒錯吧

We also use 'for' to talk about time.

我們還用for來講述時間

We use it when we're doing something over a

當我們描述做某事做了一段時間，就用for

period of time.

當我們描述做某事做了一段時間，就用for

So when something has happened for a number of

當事情進行了幾小時、幾天、幾週、幾個月、幾年

hours, days, weeks, months, years..

當事情進行了幾小時、幾天、幾週、幾個月、幾年

you get the idea, right?

你知道我的意思

We do something for a duration,

我們做一件事持續一個期間，一段時間

a period of time.

我們做一件事持續一個期間，一段時間

（他們已在這城鎮住了三年）

（你研讀醫學多久了？）

（我已經等了二十分鐘了，你在哪裡？）

Wait a second.

修蛋幾勒

Notice how all of those examples are using

注意到了嗎？這些例子全都用現在完成式

the perfect tense?

注意到了嗎？這些例子全都用現在完成式

'For' is often used when talking about time in this way.

以此方式講述時間時，就經常用for

You can actually check the lesson that I made about

你可以在這邊查看我製作的課程

the present perfect tense and using 'for' and 'since'

是關於現在完成式與for和since的用法

right here.

是關於現在完成式與for和since的用法

I'll link to it at the end of this lesson as well

我會把連結也放在這堂課結尾

so you can keep watching this one now.

這樣你就不必中斷這堂課

If you do something to help someone out

若你做一件事是為了幫人一把

or do something nice,

或成就一件好事

then you are doing something for them.

那你就是為了(for)他們而做

（我為我姊妹烤了個蛋糕）

（我需要為我祖母去取郵件）

（你能幫我拿那些箱子來嗎？）

You'll see from these examples that

從這些例子中你可以發現

this is an important one to know

這個用法頗重要

so that you can ask someone for a favour.

這樣就可以請人幫個忙

"Can you please do something for me?"

能請你幫我做件事嗎？

This is a helpful phrase, right? A helpful one to know.

這句很實用，對吧？

It's a really common expression.

是很常見的表達語句

Can you help me? Can you do something for me?

你可以幫我嗎？你能幫我做件事嗎？

What's this thing's purpose?

這東西的用途是什麼？

What's its function?

它的功能是什麼？

What's it used for?

它是用來做啥的？

Well it's used for drinking and filling up with water.

它是用來喝水和倒水的

Remember that we use 'for' when we're talking about

記住，我們在講功能或用途時，就用for

a function or a use.

記住，我們在講功能或用途記時，就用for

We use the form 'for' plus verb -ing

使用方式是for + V-ing

（這是做什麼用的？）

It's used for drinking.

它用於飲用

It's used for taking.

它用於拿取

It's used for driving.

它用於駕駛

（酵母是用於烘焙麵包的一種原料）

（那台相機是用於水下拍攝）

So notice how the verb -ing form

注意到V-ing都是跟在for之後

is always following 'for'.

注意到V-ing都是跟在for之後

Okay things are about to get a little trickier

接下來在這堂課中事情即將變得有點棘手

during this lesson

接下來在這堂課中事情即將變得有點棘手

but before we do, I want to check that you've been

但在那之前，我一樣要檢查你是否有在專心聽講

paying attention again.

但在那之前，我一樣要檢查你是否有在專心聽講

We're going to recap on the different uses of 'for'.

我們要來重點整理一下for不同的用法

Can you remember them all?

你都記得嗎？

Write them down in the comments quickly.

在下面留言迅速寫下

You've got ten seconds!

給你十秒鐘

We talked about the benefits, the duration

我們提到了好處

一個期間、一段時間

or a period of time.

We talked about helping someone and we talked about

我們也提到幫助人家

以及東西的功能與用途，對吧？

the function and the use of something, right?

So all of those situations were ones where you can use

上述的全部情況都適用to或for

'to' or 'for. It's not a complete list.

但那並不代表所有的用法

There are some other uses as well but they are

還有其他用法

但上述這些肯定是最常用的

definitely the most common ones.

Now another very common use for these prepositions

還有另一個很常見的用法

is one where both of them can be used,

是這兩個介係詞都適用的

both 'to' and 'for' can be used

to與for兩個都可以用

which is where things get a little trickier.

事情從此變得有點棘手啦

You can use both 'to' and 'for'

講述原因或動機時，to與for兩個都可以用

to talk about a reason or a motive.

講述原因或動機時，to與for兩者都可以用

So that is to talk about why

這裡是在說某人為何做某事

someone is doing something,

這裡是在說某人為何做某事

for what reason are they doing it?

他們是出於什麼原因這麼做

But in this case, they are not interchangeable.

但在這種情況下，它們是不可互換的

You can't use either one in the same way

並非隨便挑一個結果都會一樣

but luckily, luckily there are some simple rules

但幸運的是

有簡單的規則來幫助你正確使用它們

to remember that will help you to use them correctly.

Use 'to' when the motive or the reason is a verb

當動機或原因以動詞呈現時，用to

and use 'for' when the motive or a reason is a noun.

當動機或原因以名詞呈現時，用for

Make sure you write that down, that's a super tip!

這個超厲害的潎步一定要記下來

Let's check it out.

讓我們來看看

（他為何在研讀英文？）

（他為了求職而研讀英文）

'apply' is a verb

apply是動詞

so we use 'to'.

因此我們使用to

（他為了工作而研讀英文）

Now 'work' here is a noun so we use 'for'.

這裡的work是名詞，因此我們使用for

So you've seen lots of common situations

你已經知道滿多常見的情況是可以使用to與for的

where we can use 'to' and 'for'

你已經知道滿多常見的情況是可以使用to與for的

but now let's look at a few examples where

那現在我們來看看一些例子是只能使用to或for的

you can use 'to' or 'for'.

那現在我們來看看一些例子是只能使用to或for的

Both of them can be used correctly

兩者用哪一個都正確

but the meaning of each sentence changes

但個別的句子意思會隨之改變

so this is where you have to be a little careful, okay?

所以這裡你得小心點，可以嗎？

（我的助理帶午餐來給我）

Okay now remember, 'to' is used to talk about

記住，to用來指稱目的地或方向

destination or direction,

記住，to用來指稱目的地或方向

where there's movement involved.

其中有牽涉到移動

So in this example, 'lunch' is coming to me.

在這個例子中，午餐被帶來我這裡

I'm the destination for lunch.

我這裡就是午餐的目的地

My assistant physically carried the lunch

我的助理親自攜帶午餐並把它遞交給我

and delivered it to me.

我的助理親自攜帶午餐並把它遞交給我

Now

（我的老闆為我帶來午餐）

So remember, 'for' is used to do something nice

記得嗎？for可用於為某人做一件好事

for someone, right? Or to help someone with something.

或是幫人一個忙

My boss brought it to me

我的老闆把它帶來給我

because he wanted to do something nice for me.

因為他想要為我做點好事

Both of those sentences are grammatically correct

這兩句在文法上都是正確的

but using 'for' or 'to' changes the meaning, right?

但意思會隨著for或to的使用而改變

So you've got to be careful!

所以你得小心了

（我打了個電話給我媽）

So 'to' helps us to understand the direction of the action,

to幫我們理解該行動的方向

the destination of my phone call.

我致電的目的地

I called and my mum received my phone call.

我打了電話，我媽則接到了我的電話

Now,

（我幫我媽打了個電話）

I'm doing her a favour now, aren't I? I'm helping her.

我是在幫她一個忙，不是嗎？我在幫她

I'm making a call to someone else because

我在打電話給其他人

maybe my mum couldn't call them or maybe she didn't

或許基於某種原因

我媽無法親自打電話給他們或她不想打

want to for some reason

so I called that person for her to help her, right?

於是我為了幫她而打電話給那個人

Now there's a bunch of different situations

to與for都可以使用的不同情況有一大堆

where you can use 'to' and 'for', but really,

to與for都可以使用的不同情況有一大堆

但說真的，去熟背所有那些情況是很困難的學習方法

trying to memorise all of those situations is a pretty

difficult way to learn them.

但說真的，去熟背所有那些情況是很困難的學習方法

There are just too many and it becomes really difficult

實在太多情況了

要全部記下來實際上很困難而且會混淆

and confusing to try and remember them all.

Now, back at the start of this lesson, I said that learning

回到這堂課開始的時候，我說過

to use prepositions in context is really important.

連同上下文來學習介係詞的用法很重要

It's the best way to learn to use prepositions correctly

是學習正確使用英文介係詞的最佳方法

in English. Learning common collocations is going to be

學習常見的字詞組合將會對你很有用

really useful for you.

學習常見的字詞組合將會對你很有用

Like I said, it's best to learn prepositions with the verb

就如我說的，學習介係詞時

把常跟它連用的動詞或名詞一併納入是再好不過

or the noun that they're commonly used with.

Have you heard of collocations before?

你聽過搭配詞嗎？

It means when words are often together in a sentence.

它是指字彙在句中常搭配在一起的組合

They appear often in that way

它們經常以該形式出現

and so you'll often hear them together, they sound right.

所以你會常聽到它們一起，且聽起來正確

They sound natural.

聽起來自然

And if they're used incorrectly,

但用錯的話

they kind of sound weird or wrong.

它們聽起來就怪怪的，就不對了

So memorising or becoming familiar with collocations

所以記住或熟稔搭配詞會是個好策略

is a really good strategy to help you remember

以助你記得用哪個介係詞才是正確的

which preposition is the right one to use.

以助你記得用哪個介係詞才是正確的

So do you want some examples?

想來點範例嗎？

Let's talk about some now.

現在就講幾個

So with this verb, 'apologise',

這個動詞apologise（道歉）

both prepositions can be used

跟兩種介係詞都可以搭

but with different results.

但會得到不同結果

We can apologise for something, the action.

我們可以為某事道歉，指該行為

Or we can apologise to someone,

我們也可以向某人道歉

so that's the person receiving the apology.

指接受道歉的一方

（他致電為昨天錯過會議而道歉）

（他應該為錯過昨天的會議而向他老闆道歉）

Okay? So you're sorry for missing the meeting

你為(for)錯過會議而感到抱歉

but you need to apologise to your boss.

然後你需要向(to)你老闆道歉

Your boss is the person that you need to apologise to.

你是要向你的老闆道歉

So try to remember these collocations next time

下次你做錯事時，試著想起這些搭配詞

you do something wrong, right?

下次你做錯事時，試著想起這些搭配詞

When you've messed up and you've made a mistake.

當你搞砸了、犯錯了

Try testing them out. You apologise to someone

試試看這些搭配詞

你向某人道歉，或為某事道歉

or you apologise for something.

Now we also travel to somewhere, right?

我們也會前往某處旅行，對嗎？

（我們休假前往古巴旅行）

（你去歐洲旅行過嗎？）

Okay we use 'travel to' but we also use 'travel for'

好，以上我們用travel + to

但我們也用travel + for來表達目標甚至是時間

when we're talking about a purpose or even a time.

（我要去旅行三週）

or

（我因公要去旅行）

For the purpose of work, right?

是為了工作需要

You apply for something, right?

你申請某件東西

（我在申請獎學金）

（我在應徵新工作）

But we can also apply to a person, okay?

然而，申請也可以針對人

We ask for something, right?

我們要求某件東西

（我生日想要一個新背包）

（若不懂的話就尋求協助）

If you need it. Ask for help.

若你需要，請求幫忙

We use 'belong to' when we're talking about ownership

當我們談論所有權或身為某事物的一分子時

or being part of something, right?

就用belong + to

（你知道那是誰家的狗嗎？）

（我砸爛的那輛車是屬於我爸公司的）

Notice that we don't use 'belong for', right?

注意，我們並不說belong for

We also care for something or someone.

我們也關照某事或某人

（我媽動手術後，我請假照顧她）

We prepare for something, right?

我們準備某項東西

（我需要為我明天的測驗做準備）

（能請你幫我準備今晚的晚餐嗎？）

There's a lot of people coming around.

有很多人要來

Now we use 'wait for' something or someone, right?

我們等待某人事物

'Wait for' with a noun.

wait for接名詞

（我已經等公車等到天荒地老了）

It's taking ages!

實在等太久了！

（能請你等等我嗎？）

All right, we're waiting for something

我們可以說wait for something

but we can also wait to do something.

也可以說wait to do something

Okay we can wait to buy, you know. So 'wait to'

我們可以說等著購買

wait to接動詞

is followed by a verb.

If you can learn and remember some of those

若你能學習並熟記一些我們剛提到的常用搭配詞

collocations that we just talked about,

若你能學習並熟記一些我們剛提到的常用搭配詞

they're really common. They occur all the time.

它們很常見

Well then you'll be so much closer to using

那麼你將更進一步

像專業人士一樣使用介係詞to與for

the prepositions 'to' and 'for' like a total pro!

Actually, why don't you give that a go right now?

其實你何不現在就試試呢？

Right now! Practice makes perfect, right?

就是現在！熟能生巧！

So in the comments, pick a few of those common

在下面評論中

挑幾個常用的搭配詞，我們剛才提到的

collocations, the ones that we just talked about.

Maybe challenge yourself a little

或許自我挑戰一下

by picking the ones that you

挑幾個你還不常聽見的

haven't heard very much or

挑幾個你還不常聽見的

you don't use very much yourself.

或你自己不常用的

But write a few sentences in the comments below.

在下面評論中寫幾句話

I'll be checking to see if you've got them right

我會檢查你是否寫對了

and give you some feedback if you need it okay?

視情況會給你一些反饋

Thanks for joining me today! Make sure you subscribe

感謝你今天跟我一起學習

還沒訂閱的話一定要按訂閱

if you haven't already and send me a little message

在下面留言跟我打個招呼

down below and say hi.

If you want to keep practising though, of course,

若你想持續練習

你當然想持續練習，對吧？

you want to keep practising, right?

Check out this lesson here or this one

那就參考這邊這堂課

is the present perfect lesson that I mentioned earlier

或關於現在完成式的這堂課，剛才在影片中提到的

where I talk a bit more about using 'for'

在那我會講更多for的用法

Okay? 'for' and 'since'.

for與since

I'll see you in the next lesson!

我們在下一堂課見！