Questions about direct and indirect objects
I have some doubts about direct and indirect objects. For example:
My professor teaches me to speak Spanish.=My professor teaches me it
They arrange our plane tickets for us.=They arrange them for us.
Paula repairs the computer for you.=Paula repairs it for you.
*They arrange our plane tickets to us.=They arrange us them?
When can I use "for" instead of "to"?
Are they interchangeables?
Are there any rules?
2 Answers
My professor teaches me to speak Spanish.=My professor teaches me it
My professor teaches it to me. Direct object = it; Indirect object = to me.
They arrange our plane tickets for us.=They arrange them for us.
Correct!
Paula repairs the computer for you.=Paula repairs it for you.
Correct!
When can I use "for" instead of "to"? Are they interchangeables?
No, for and to are not interchangable. Think of for as on behalf of..., and to as movement ( you give something to someone).
Hope this helps. Maybe someone with better grammar can explain it better.
Think of for as a favor being done for someone.
Think of to as something affecting or happening to someone.
John did your homework for you. John did it for you.= He did you a favor and completed your homework.
John did your homework to you= Doesn't make sense, you can't "Do someone a homework."
They arrange our plane tickets for us. They arrange them for us.= They did us a favor and got our tickets.
They arrange our plane tickets to us= Doesn't make sense as we can't "arrange something to someone."
However, in modern spoken English, we tend to discard that "for."
They arrange us them.= They arrange them for us.
They got me it.= They got it for me.
This only works when there is a direct object and an indirect object in the same sentance.
