Sign In Get Started
Prepositions with nouns

Of citizen, for citizen, or to citizen?

Citizen commonly takes of to show nationality or membership. For citizens and to a citizen are possible in specific contexts.

Quick answer

Which preposition is used with citizen?

Use citizen of for nationality or membership in a country or city. Use for citizens when something is intended to help them. Use to a citizen mainly after verbs such as speak or give.

She is a citizen of Canada.
The program was created for citizens living abroad.
The mayor spoke to a citizen after the meeting.

Choose the pattern by meaning

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

1
citizen of + place

Nationality or legal membership

Use citizen of to show legal belonging to a country or city.

He became a citizen of Italy last year.
She is a proud citizen of the city.
2
for citizens

Benefit or purpose

Use for citizens when something is intended to help or serve them.

The website provides services for citizens.
New housing was built for citizens affected by floods.
3
to a citizen

Direction toward a person

Use to a citizen after verbs of speaking, giving, or sending.

The officer explained the rule to a citizen calmly.
They sent a reply to a citizen who complained.

See the difference in context

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

Construction
Example
Meaning
citizen of
She is a citizen of Brazil.
legal nationality or membership
for citizens
The guide was written for citizens.
intended to help citizens
to a citizen
The judge spoke to a citizen outside the court.
directed toward a person
of citizen
This direct combination is not standard in modern English.
normally replaced by citizen of or another full phrase

Common mistakes

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

Reversing citizen of

The noun citizen is normally followed by of.

✕ She is of Canada citizen. ✓ She is a citizen of Canada.

Using to citizen without an article

Singular citizen usually needs a or the.

✕ The officer spoke to citizen. ✓ The officer spoke to a citizen.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. He became a citizen ___ France.
2. The service was designed ___ citizens.
3. The mayor spoke ___ a citizen after the event.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is citizen of the correct form?

Yes. Citizen of is the standard pattern for nationality or membership.

Can I say for citizens?

Yes. It is common when something is intended to help or serve citizens.

Is of citizen correct?

Not usually. English normally uses citizen of plus a place.

of, about, against, to or for racism? of, about, for, in or on friendship? of, about, for, on or to thing? of, about, for, to or with sex? of, about, on, to or for moon? "of access" or "with access"? "of accommodation" or "for accommodation"? "of accuracy" or "for accuracy"? "of action" or "in action"? "of actor", "with actor" or "by actor"? "of address" or "to address"? "of administration" or "in administration"?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account