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māma duì wǒ de jiànkāng hěn guānxīn.

妈妈māma　对duì　我wǒ　的de　健康jiànkāng　很hěn　关心guānxīn。māma duì wǒ de jiànkāng hěn guānxīn.
My mom really cares about my health.
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Questions & Answers about māma duì wǒ de jiànkāng hěn guānxīn.

What does 对 mean here, and why is it used?

In this sentence, 对 is a preposition meaning roughly toward / regarding / with respect to.

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    Literally: Mom, toward my health, is very concerned.

The pattern is:

  • 对 + noun / noun phrase + 很 + mental/attitude verb/adjective

Common similar patterns:

  • 他对工作很认真。 – He is very serious about his work.
  • 老师对我们很好。 – The teacher is very good to us.

So here 对我的健康 means “regarding my health / about my health.”

Why is 的 used after 我 in 我的健康? Could we drop it?

的 is the possessive marker, like ’s in English.

  • 我 – I / me
  • 我的 – my / mine
  • 我的健康 – my health

Here, 的 links the possessor (我) to the thing possessed (健康).

Can it be dropped?

  • In this sentence:
    妈妈对我健康很关心。 ❌ sounds wrong / ungrammatical.
  • In casual speech 的 can sometimes be dropped with close relationships (like 我妈, 我家), but not usually with a more abstract noun like 健康 in this position.

So in 我的健康, 的 is required.

Why do we need 很 before 关心? Does it always mean “very”?

Here, 很 has two roles:

  1. It does mean “very” to some extent:
    很关心 ≈ “cares a lot / is very concerned.”

  2. It also behaves like a linking word for many adjectives and psychological verbs in Chinese, making the sentence feel complete and natural.

In the pattern 对…很关心, Chinese normally needs a degree adverb like 很 / 非常 / 特别, etc.

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。 ✅ natural
  • 妈妈对我的健康关心。 ❌ feels incomplete / unnatural

But when 关心 is used as a straightforward verb with an object, you can omit 很:

  • 妈妈关心我的健康。 ✅ Mom cares about my health.
  • 妈妈很关心我的健康。 ✅ Mom really cares about my health (stronger degree).

So:

  • In 对…很关心, 很 is basically required.
  • In 关心 + object, 很 is optional and adds emphasis.
Is 关心 a verb or an adjective here?

It’s acting more like an adjective / stative verb in this structure.

Compare:

  1. Verb use (takes a direct object):

    • 妈妈关心我的健康。 – Mom cares about my health.
      Here, 关心 = “to care about,” a regular verb.

  2. Adjective-like (stative) use with 对…很…:

    • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。 – Mom is very concerned about my health.
      Here, 对 X 很关心 describes Mom’s attitude/state toward my health, so it behaves more like an adjective phrase: “is very concerned.”

That’s why the pattern 对…很关心 needs 很 (like many adjectives do).

Can I also say 妈妈很关心我的健康? How is it different from 妈妈对我的健康很关心?

Yes, 妈妈很关心我的健康 is completely natural and very common.

Nuance:

  • 妈妈很关心我的健康。
    Focus: Mom’s action/attitude of caring about my health in general. Smooth, everyday phrasing.

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    Focus: Mom’s attitude toward my health specifically, using the pattern 对…很关心. Slightly more formal or written-feeling, and emphasizes “with respect to my health, she is very concerned.”

In practice, they often mean the same thing, and both are correct. In everyday spoken Chinese, 妈妈很关心我的健康 may sound a bit more natural.

What’s the difference between 妈妈很关心我 and 妈妈对我的健康很关心?

They are related, but not identical:

  • 妈妈很关心我。
    – Mom cares about me (overall: my life, feelings, situation, etc.).

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    – Mom is very concerned about my health specifically.

The second sentence narrows the focus to health, not just you as a person.

Could I drop 我 and say 妈妈对健康很关心?

You can, but the meaning changes:

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    – Mom is very concerned about my health.

  • 妈妈对健康很关心。
    – Mom cares a lot about health (in general).
    (She is someone who values health as a concept — maybe she’s health-conscious, into fitness, etc.)

So grammatically it’s fine, but 你 (you) disappears from the sentence; it becomes a more general statement.

How do I negate this sentence correctly?

Use 不 with 关心, since this is about a general attitude, not a completed action:

  • 妈妈对我的健康不关心。
    – Mom does not care about my health.

You would not use 没 here:

  • 妈妈对我的健康没关心。 ❌ unnatural

To soften it, Chinese often adds words like 不太:

  • 妈妈对我的健康不太关心。
    – Mom doesn’t really care much about my health. (less absolute)
How is tense expressed here? How do I say “used to care,” “will care,” etc.?

Chinese does not mark tense on the verb the way English does. 关心 stays the same; time is shown by context or time words:

  • Present / general truth (as written):
    妈妈对我的健康很关心。 – Mom cares a lot about my health.

  • Past / used to:
    以前妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    – In the past / before, Mom cared a lot about my health.

  • Future:
    以后妈妈也会对我的健康很关心。
    – In the future, Mom will also care a lot about my health.

The verb 关心 itself does not change form.

What’s the difference between 关心, 担心, and 在乎?

All are related to caring, but they’re not the same:

  • 关心 – to care about, to show concern for (often active/positive caring)

    • 妈妈关心我的健康。 – Mom cares about my health.
    • Can imply checking, asking, reminding, etc.

  • 担心 – to worry about (emotional worry/fear)

    • 妈妈担心我的健康。 – Mom is worried about my health.
    • Focus on anxiety, fear that something might be wrong.

  • 在乎 – to mind, to care about (often about importance/value in your heart)

    • 妈妈很在乎我的健康。 – My health really matters to Mom.
    • Common for “do you care or not?” type questions:
      • 你在乎不在乎？ – Do you care or not?

In your sentence, 关心 fits because it’s about ongoing concern and care, not just worry or emotional importance.

How do I pronounce 妈妈 and 关心 correctly, including tones?

  • 妈妈 – māma

    • First syllable: mā – first tone (high and level)
    • Second syllable: ma – neutral tone (light, short, no clear pitch contour)
      So it’s mā·ma (not mā-má).

  • 关心 – guānxīn

    • 关 (guān) – first tone (high and level)
    • 心 (xīn) – first tone (high and level)

Word by word:

  • 妈妈对我的健康很关心。
    mā·ma duì wǒ de jiànkāng hěn guānxīn.