Did you do something to me or for me?
Many new writers get tripped up deciding between these popular phrases “to me” and “for me” in their writing. Some people think that these terms are interchangeable and is just a matter of personal opinion. Like with most grammar rules, the correct two words are determined by the content of the sentence.
Which Spelling Is Correct: To Me or For Me?
Many writers get confused when deciding between the English prepositions to & for. Our recent article on the difference between On Page vs In Page perfectly demonstrates how to properly use prepositions in your writing.
To make things even more confusing, both of these phrases are used to express your own perspective or personal experience. But they are used in slightly different situations.
“To Me” – Used to express your own personal opinion, thoughts, or perspective on a topic. For example:
- “To me, this situation seems very complicated.”
- “Mark did the same thing to me! He always shows up late for everything.”
“For Me” – Used to express what is personally relevant or important to one. In most cases, it is used when discussing things that personally benefit you. This includes things such as expressing preference, necessity, or personal interests. For example:
- “My previous boss did so much for me, he was my mentor.”
- “For me, this brand of coffee is the best.”
Takeaway: Both to me & for me can be used correctly depending on the context of the sentence!
Sentence Examples
Here are some sentence examples for using the phrase “To me“:
- “To me, the best part of the movie was the twist ending.”
- “I feel honored that my grandfather gave his war medal to me before he passed away.”
- “To me, the most frustrating part of this task is trying to figure out how to do it.”
Here are some sentence examples for using the phrase “For me“:
- “Jim did a favor for me, so now I owe him one.”
- “For me, having a supportive network of friends and family is crucial for my well-being.”
- “Mark drove to the store and got a gallon of milk for me because my fridge was empty.”
If you’re struggling and keep asking, does my sentence make sense? Then consider using our FREE tool!
To vs For – What’s The Difference?
The prepositions “to” and “for” can be very confusing for writers. There may even be sentences where either option sounds good, but there is always a correct choice. Just like we saw with the words Other Then vs Other Than in your writing. But these two prepositions are used to express or communicate relationships between people or things.
The word “to” is used to show movement or direction towards someone or something. It can also be used to communicate who received a specific action. For example:
- “I’m going to the store so that I can grab some groceries.” (movement towards the store)
- “I’m sending this package to my friend for her 25th Birthday.” (recipient of a birthday present)
On the other hand, “for” is more used to demonstrate the purpose or intended recipient of something. It is normally used to show who will benefit or gain advantage from something they receive. For example:
- “I am sorry for your loss, I heard your Aunt passed away.” (Your friend is the intended recipient of your condolences)
- “As you can tell by the size of this jacket, it is made for cold weather.” (jacket was made for a specific purpose)
Takeaway: Use “to” when expressing movement & use “for” when expressing the benefit or advantage that someone gets.
Understanding Prepositions
Prepositions are words that many writers do not fully understand. We saw this when examining the prepositional phrases do to vs due to in a previous article. Prepositions are used to express relationships between people or things.
Here are some common prepositions:
- “In”
- “On”
- “At”
- “From”
- “By”
To make it even more clear about how to use these popular parts of speech, here are some examples:
- “I’m going to the store because my kitchen pantry is completely empty.”
- “The cat is under the table.”
- “She’s arriving at 5pm to pick me up for the movies.”
What About To Me or Too Me?
The correct answer is “to me“. Here are some examples of how to use these two words correctly.
- “She gave it to me to keep the book safe.”
- “Mark did it to me first, so I had to get my revenge.”
You cannot say the words “too me” in your writing. The correct phrase is “me too”. This is a way of agreeing with someone.
Mark: “I love playing basketball.”
Steve: “Me too! Basketball is by far the best sport in the world!”
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the context of the situation. When talking about something that benefits someone, use the term “for me”. “To me” is normally used to express your personal thoughts or opinions on a subject.
In most cases, it will be correct to say “make it up to me”. However, both can be correct depending on the sentence context. For example, you might say “I’m sorry I forgot your birthday. Let me take you out to dinner and make it up to you.” Or you might say “I’m sorry I broke your vase. Can I replace it and make it up for you?”
Both can be correct. Throwing a ball at me would be doing something to me. Grabbing me a coffee in the morning would be doing something for me!
“As for me” is a phrase that is used to introduce one’s own opinion or perspective on a topic. It is often used in professional situations to indicate that the speaker is going to express their own thoughts or feelings on a matter, as opposed to those of someone else.
Both “as to” and “as for” are phrases that are used to introduce a topic or to provide further information about something. However, they are used in slightly different ways. “As to” is used to introduce a topic or to provide more information about something. “As for” is similar to “as to,” but it is used to introduce your own opinion or perspective on a topic.
The Bottom Line
By now you have a great understanding of the difference between for me or to me. Hopefully it all makes sense to you. If you are getting tripped up by this grammar rule, don’t worry! Even native speakers struggle with this from time to time. You can even use our FREE sentence grammar check tool for some extra help! Let us know you personal thoughts in the comments section below.