Coverbs (Prepositional Verbs): 在, 给, 跟, 对, 用, 向, 往, 从, 离, 为

Chinese doesn't really have prepositions the way English does. Instead it uses coverbs: little words that are verbs by origin but act like prepositions, setting up a where, with whom, or by what means before the main verb. 给你打电话 ("call you," literally "to-you make-call") uses 给 as a coverb. Once you see the pattern, a whole set of them falls into place. Here's the family.

How coverbs work

A coverb and its object form a phrase that goes before the main verb. The structure is:

subject + coverb + object + main verb

The coverb phrase sets the scene; the main verb is the real action.

• 我在家吃饭。 — I eat at home. (在家 sets the place, 吃饭 is the action)
• 我给你打电话。 — I'll call you. (给你 sets the recipient)

The key thing to remember: the coverb phrase comes first, then the main verb. English often puts these phrases after the verb ("eat at home"), so the order feels backward at first.

在: at, in (location)

在 (zài) marks where the action happens. The place goes between 在 and the verb.

• 我在图书馆学习。 — I study at the library.
• 他在床上睡觉。 — He sleeps on the bed.

Don't confuse this with 在 as a standalone verb ("to be at": 我在家, "I'm home") or the progressive 在 ("我在吃饭", "I'm eating"). Here it's setting a location for another action.

给: to, for (the recipient)

给 (gěi) marks who receives the action or who benefits from it.

• 我给妈妈做饭。 — I cook for my mom.
• 请给我一杯水。 — Please give me a glass of water.

给 is also a full verb meaning "give," which is why 给我一杯水 works both as "give me water" and as the coverb "for me."

跟: with (and 和)

跟 (gēn) marks the person you do something with or toward. 和 (hé) and 跟 overlap heavily here.

• 我跟朋友去看电影。 — I'm going to a movie with friends.
• 我跟你说。 — Let me tell you. (literally "I, toward you, speak")

That 跟你说 pattern is everywhere in conversation, meaning "I'm telling you" or "I'll say to you."

对: toward, to (an attitude or target)

对 (duì) marks the target of an attitude or action, often how you feel or behave toward someone or something.

• 他对我很好。 — He's very good to me.
• 这对身体不好。 — This is bad for your health.

对 often introduces feelings, effects, or attitudes directed at a target.

用: with, using (a tool or method)

用 (yòng) marks the tool or means by which you do something.

• 我用筷子吃饭。 — I eat with chopsticks.
• 请用中文说。 — Please say it in Chinese.

用 is also the plain verb "to use," so 用筷子 is literally "use chopsticks" leading into the action.

向 and 往: toward (direction)

These two both point a direction, with a subtle split. 向 (xiàng) can be literal or figurative; 往 (wǎng) is more about physical movement toward a place.

• 向前走。 — Walk forward.
• 往左拐。 — Turn left.
• 我向他学习。 — I learn from him. (figurative — toward him)

往 tends to pair with concrete directions (左, 右, 前, 后), while 向 stretches to abstract "toward" as in learning from someone.

从 and 离: from (starting point and distance)

从 (cóng) marks a starting point, in space or time.

• 我从北京来。 — I come from Beijing.
• 我们从八点开始。 — We start from eight o'clock.

离 (lí) marks distance from a reference point, used to say how near or far things are.

• 我家离学校很近。 — My home is close to the school.
• 这儿离机场远吗? — Is it far from the airport here?

Keep these apart: 从 is about where something starts, 离 is about the gap between two points. 从学校 means "starting from school"; 离学校 means "away from the school" (as a distance).

为: for (the purpose or beneficiary)

为 (wèi) marks who or what you do something for. It overlaps with 给 but leans more toward purpose and benefit.

• 我为你高兴。 — I'm happy for you.
• 大家为他鼓掌。 — Everyone applauded for him.

You'll also see the longer 为了 ("in order to") for purposes, which gets its own treatment in the connectives articles.

Negation and questions

To negate a coverb sentence, the 不 or 没 usually goes before the coverb, not before the main verb:

• 我不在家吃饭。 — I don't eat at home.
• 他没给我打电话。 — He didn't call me.

That's because the coverb is the first verb-like thing in the sentence, so negation attaches there.

Quick reference

Coverb	Marks	Example
在	location	在家吃饭
给	recipient	给你打电话
跟	with whom	跟朋友去
对	target of attitude	对我很好
用	tool / means	用筷子吃
向	direction (incl. figurative)	向前走
往	direction (physical)	往左拐
从	starting point	从北京来
离	distance from	离学校很近
为	for (benefit/purpose)	为你高兴

A quick recap

Coverbs are verbs that act like prepositions, setting up a where, with whom, or by what means before the main verb. Place the coverb phrase first, then the action: 我在家吃饭, 我给你打电话. Watch the close pairs: 向 vs. 往 (figurative vs. physical direction) and 从 vs. 离 (starting point vs. distance). And negate in front of the coverb, not the main verb. Learn these ten and you can build most of the prepositional ideas Chinese needs.