对我/给我

[SunnySideUp]

I just came across a simple sentence I completely turned on its head when translating. 经理对我印象不错。

I  first thought it meant that the manager made a good impression on me... But that should be 经理给我印象不错。Right?

Is it always the case that 对我 is understood as I do something to others or leave them with something (an impression etc.)? I sometimes seem to completely mess up subject and object... and I'd like to rectify that

[Publius]

1 hour ago, SunnySideUp said:

Is it always the case that 对我 is understood as I do something to others or leave them with something (an impression etc.)?

Of course not. For example, 经理对我大发雷霆、经理对我寄予厚望、经理对我动手动脚。

But 对……的印象 means "the impression about/of", e.g. 你对中国的印象如何？ What's your impression of China?

经理对我印象不错 = He had a good impression of me = I made a good impression on him.

[SunnySideUp]

Thank you, @Publius

I guess my question was if 我 (or 他 or any other placeholder) gets turned into an object whenever there's a 对(我/他)?

 

That seems to be the case in the examples above: The manager was furious with me. The manager placed high hopes on me. The manager groped me (or flirted with me? Not sure about that translation, I looked this up on pleco)...

 

Thank you!

 

[陳德聰]

Yes.  對 is a preposition that is roughly equivalent to “to/towards”. It denotes the target of thoughts, feelings, actions.