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Prepositions after adjectives

Nice to and nice for

Nice to and nice for have different meanings. Nice to usually refers to behaviour toward someone.

Quick answer

Nice to or nice for?

Use nice to when describing behaviour toward a person. Use nice for when something is beneficial or suitable for someone or something.

She was nice to everyone.
Walking is nice for your health.
It was nice of him to help.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
nice to + person

Kind behaviour toward someone

Use nice to for social behaviour and attitude.

The staff were nice to the visitors.
2
nice for + person or purpose

Beneficial or pleasant effect

Use nice for when something is good or suitable.

Fresh air is nice for children.
3
nice of + person + infinitive

Praising someone's action

Use nice of to comment on behaviour.

It was nice of her to call.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
nice to
He is always nice to new employees.
kind toward someone
nice for
Tea is nice for a sore throat.
good or helpful for something
nice of
It was nice of you to wait.
showing kindness through an action

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using nice for people in social situations

Use nice to when describing behaviour toward people.

✕ She is nice for her classmates. ✓ She is nice to her classmates.

Confusing nice to and nice of

Nice to describes behaviour; nice of comments on an action.

✕ It was nice to him to help. ✓ It was nice of him to help.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. They were very nice ___ me.
2. Soup is nice ___ cold evenings.
3. It was nice ___ her to invite us.

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Frequently asked questions

Is nice to someone correct?

Yes. It is the standard way to describe kind behaviour.

What does nice for mean?

It means good, pleasant, or beneficial for someone or something.

Can nice of and nice to both be correct?

Yes, but they express different meanings.

naive-in-about-to-of, for naked in, on, with, for or at? "narrow down" or "narrow in"? "nasty to", "nasty in" or "nasty about"? "national of" or "national in"? "native of" or "native to"? "natural for" or "natural to"? necessary for, in, to, at or by? needy in, of, for, from or by? "negative about", "negative in" or "negative for"? negligent in, of, for, to or about? nervous about, of, at, in or before?

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