Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè jiàn shìqíng duì wǒ láishuō hěn zhòngyào.

这件事情对我来说很重要
- Slightly emphasizes “from my perspective / as far as I’m concerned”.
- Feels a bit more explicit about “viewpoint”.
这件事情对我很重要
- Means “this thing is very important to me”.
- Slightly more direct and neutral, often used about emotional or practical importance.

In most everyday contexts, they can both be used with almost no difference.
If you want a bit more of “as for me personally” flavor, use 对我来说.
If you just want “important to me”, 对我 is enough.

Why is there no 是 (shì “to be”) before 很重要? In English we say “is very important”.

In Chinese, adjectives act like verbs, so you don’t usually need 是 before them.

Pattern:

Subject + 很 + adjective
- = “Subject is adjective”

So:

这件事情对我来说很重要
= “This matter is very important to me.”

Adding 是 is possible in special contexts for emphasis, like:

对我来说，这件事情是很重要的。
(Used in formal speech or when contrasting with something else.)

But in a normal, neutral statement, the default is no 是:

✅ 这件事情对我来说很重要。
❌ 这件事情对我来说是很重要。 (odd unless you’re emphasizing or continuing a contrast)

Do I always have to use 很 before an adjective like 重要? Can I say 对我来说重要?

You can say 这件事情对我来说重要, but it usually sounds emphatic or contrastive, like:

“This matter is (indeed) important (not unimportant).”

In simple, neutral descriptions, Mandarin normally adds a “degree” word before adjectives:

很, 非常, 真, 挺, 太, 比较, etc.

So the most natural neutral pattern is:

Subject + 很 + adjective
- 这件事情对我来说很重要。

Think of 很 here as partly grammatical, not always literally “very”.
For beginners, a good rule is:

When you say “X is [adjective]” and nothing else is modifying the adjective, put something like 很 there.

You can omit 很 when:

You already have another adverb:
- 这件事情对我来说非常重要。
You are intentionally making a strong, contrastive statement:
- 这件事情对我来说重要，你不要小看。

Can I move 对我来说 to the beginning: 对我来说，这件事情很重要? Which word order is more natural?

Both orders are correct and natural:

这件事情对我来说很重要。
- Neutral word order: subject first.
- “This matter is very important to me.”
对我来说，这件事情很重要。
- Puts “for me” at the front as the topic.
- Feels like: “As for me, this matter is very important.”

Nuance:

Sentence-initial 对我来说 = slightly more topic/comment structure; it often sounds more careful or explanatory.
Inside the sentence 对我来说 (after the subject) = very common and neutral.

You might also hear in speech:

这件事情很重要，对我来说。
- End-placement for extra emphasis, more like an afterthought:
  - “This thing is really important… to me.”

But the two main word orders at the start or after the subject are both standard.

Why do we need the measure word 件 here? Could we just say 这事情对我来说很重要?

件 is a measure word (classifier) commonly used for events, matters, actions, clothes, etc.

一件事情 – one matter/thing
这件事情 – this matter
那件事情 – that matter

Strictly speaking, with demonstratives (这 “this”, 那 “that”) you normally use a measure word, so:

这件事情对我来说很重要。
is the standard, textbook form.

In everyday speech, people do sometimes omit the measure word, especially with 事:

这事对我来说很重要。
这事情对我来说很重要。 (also heard in colloquial speech)

For learners, using 件 here is safe, natural, and correct.
If you want to sound more colloquial later, 这事 is very common:

这事对我来说很重要。

What’s the difference between 这件事情, 这件事, and 这个事情?

All three can refer to “this matter / this thing (that happened)”, and all can be understood. The differences are mainly style and frequency:

这件事
- Very common and concise.
- Neutral, works in both speech and writing.
- Probably the most typical choice.
这件事情
- Slightly longer; can feel a bit more formal or careful.
- Often used when the matter is seen as a whole situation rather than a single “item.”
这个事情
- Uses the very general classifier 个, so it sounds more casual / spoken.
- Common in conversation:
  - 这个事情对我来说很重要。

You can safely use 这件事 or 这件事情 in most situations.
个 is the “default classifier”; 件 is somewhat more specific to events / matters / clothing.

What’s the difference between 事情, 事, and 事儿?

They all basically mean “thing / matter / affair”, but differ in length, register, and regional flavor:

事情 (shìqíng)
- Full form; relatively neutral and slightly formal.
- Common in both writing and speech.
- Example: 我有一件事情想跟你说。
事 (shì)
- Short form; extremely common in everyday speech and writing.
- Often used with measure words: 一件事, 这件事, 那件事.
- Example: 有件事我想问你。
事儿 (shìr)
- With 儿化 (‑r ending); very typical in Beijing / northern speech.
- Sounds more colloquial / local.
- Example: 我有件事儿想跟你说。

Meaning-wise they’re basically the same. For a neutral standard style:

use 事 or 事情.
use 事儿 if you want a Beijing‑flavored, very casual feel.

What exactly does 对 mean here, and how is it used in other sentences?

In this sentence, 对 means “to / towards / with regard to” and marks who is affected:

对我来说很重要
= “(is very important) to me / for me”

Common patterns with 对:

对 + person + 很好 – to be good to someone
- 他对我很好。 – He is very good to me.
对 + something + 感兴趣 – to be interested in something
- 我对中文很感兴趣。 – I’m very interested in Chinese.
对 + something + 有帮助 – to be helpful to something/someone
- 这个方法对学习中文很有帮助。 – This method is very helpful for learning Chinese.
对 + topic + 来说 – from the point of view of …
- 对我来说，中文不难。 – For me, Chinese is not difficult.

So 对 often introduces the object of an attitude, effect, or evaluation: good to, bad for, important to, helpful to, etc.

Can I use 对于 instead of 对, like 这件事情对于我来说很重要 or 这件事情对于我很重要?

Yes, 对于 is close in meaning to 对, but it’s generally:

a bit more formal / written,
used more with abstract topics or issues.

In your sentence:

这件事情对于我很重要。
- Grammatically fine; feels a bit more formal than 对我.
这件事情对于我来说很重要。
- Also possible, but somewhat heavy / wordy, because 对于我 and 对我来说 overlap in meaning (“for me, as far as I’m concerned”).

Typical usage tendencies:

With pronouns like 我, 你, 他, 对 is much more common than 对于 in speech:
- 这件事情对我很重要。 (most natural in conversation)
With abstract nouns or topics, both are used, but 对于 can sound more formal:
- 对这个问题，我们需要认真考虑。
- 对于这个问题，我们需要认真考虑。
  (Both: “Regarding this issue, we need to think carefully.”)

For your sentence in normal conversation, 对我(来说) is the best default.

Are there stronger or weaker ways to say 很重要?

Yes. You can adjust the degree of importance by changing the adverb before 重要:

Stronger than 很重要:

非常重要 – extremely important
特别重要 – especially / really important
十分重要 – very, extremely important (more formal/written)
极其重要 – exceedingly important (very formal / strong)

Examples:

这件事情对我来说非常重要。
这件事情对我来说特别重要。

Softer / weaker:

比较重要 – quite important / relatively important
有点重要 – a bit important (less common, sounds a little odd; usually we soften via negation instead)
不太重要 – not very important

Examples:

这件事情对我来说比较重要。 – It’s fairly important to me.
这件事情对我来说不太重要。 – It’s not very important to me.

Any pronunciation or tone tips for 这件事情对我来说很重要?

Pinyin with tones:

这件事情对我来说很重要。
zhè jiàn shìqíng duì wǒ lái shuō hěn zhòngyào

Tone breakdown:

这 zhè – 4th
件 jiàn – 4th
事 shì – 4th
情 qíng – 2nd
对 duì – 4th
我 wǒ – 3rd
来 lái – 2nd
说 shuō – 1st
很 hěn – 3rd
重 zhòng – 4th
要 yào – 4th

Tips:

Split the sentence into chunks when practicing:
- 这件事情 / 对我来说 / 很重要。
There are no consecutive 3rd–3rd tone pairs, so you don’t need special tone-sandhi changes here.
Make sure hěn (3rd) is clearly a dipping tone, not swallowed; English speakers often reduce it too much.
Stress-wise, you can slightly emphasize:
- 这件事情 and 很重要 to convey the meaning clearly.