Learn Hardcore Chinese: duì tā láishuō, zài gōngyuán sànbù bǐ zài jiā shàngwǎng gèng fàngsōng. - For him, taking a walk in the park is more relaxing than going online at home.

对 = to, toward, with regard to
他 = him
来说 = literally “to speak (about it)” but here it has become a fixed expression meaning “from the perspective of …”

So 对他来说，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 ≈ “For him, walking in the park is more relaxing than surfing the internet at home.”

Can I just say 对他 instead of 对他来说? What’s the difference?

Sometimes you can, but they’re not always interchangeable.

对他 often means “toward him / to him / for him (in an objective sense)”
- e.g. 我对他很好。 = “I’m nice to him.”
- e.g. 这个工作对他很重要。 = “This job is important to him.”
对他来说 usually means “from his point of view / in his opinion”
- e.g. 对他来说，这个问题不重要。 = “From his point of view, this issue isn’t important.”

In your sentence, we’re talking about his personal feeling about what’s more relaxing, so 对他来说 is the natural choice.

✗ 对他，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 sounds incomplete and a bit wrong.
You really want 对他来说 here.

Where can I put 对他来说 in the sentence? Does it have to be at the start?

The most natural place is at or near the beginning:

对他来说，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。

You can also see it slightly later:

在公园散步，对他来说，比在家上网更放松。 (possible, adds a small pause/emphasis)

But you normally don’t put it after the adjective:

✗ 在公园散步比在家上网更放松对他来说。 (unnatural)

So, think of 对他来说 as a sentence-level adverbial (“for him”) that sets up the whole statement, and keep it before the main comparison.

Why do we need 在 before 公园 and 家? Is it just like the English “at”?

Yes, 在 here is very much like “at / in” in English:

在公园 = at/in the park
在家 = at home

In Chinese, the typical order is:

在 + place + (verb phrase)

So:

在公园散步 = to walk (take a stroll) in the park
在家上网 = to surf the internet at home

If you drop 在,

公园散步 sounds like “park-walk” (not totally wrong, but feels incomplete)
家上网 is wrong; you need 在家 for “at home”.

So keep 在 with locations when you want to say “do X at/in place.”

What is the structure with 比 here? Why is 比 in the middle of the sentence?

Chinese comparative with 比 is very regular:

A + 比 + B + Adjective (or adjective phrase)

In your sentence:

A = 在公园散步 (walking in the park)
B = 在家上网 (surfing the internet at home)
Adjective phrase = 更放松 (more relaxing)

So:
> 在公园散步 + 比 + 在家上网 + 更放松。

This is the standard pattern:

今天比昨天冷。 = Today is colder than yesterday.
这本书比那本有意思。 = This book is more interesting than that one.

If 比 already means “than / more … than”, why do we also need 更 (“more”) before 放松?

比 marks the comparison, but 更 emphasizes the degree: “even more / much more / still more”.

在公园散步比在家上网放松。
- grammatically OK
- means “Walking in the park is more relaxing than surfing the internet at home.”
在公园散步比在家上网更放松。
- more natural
- means “Walking in the park is even / noticeably more relaxing than surfing the internet at home.”

In everyday speech, people very often add 更, 多了, 得多, etc., to strengthen the comparison:

贵多了, 好得多, 更方便, etc.

Can we drop 更 here? Will the meaning change?

Yes, you can drop 更 and the sentence is still correct:

对他来说，在公园散步比在家上网放松。

Meaning: still “For him, walking in the park is more relaxing than surfing the internet at home.”
The nuance:

without 更: states a comparison, fairly neutral
with 更: slightly stronger or more emphatic difference

Both are natural; 更 just adds a bit of emphasis.

Why isn’t there a 是 (like “is”) before 更放松? Shouldn’t it be something like 是更放松的?

In Chinese, adjectives can function as verbs, so you don’t always need 是.

Comparison pattern:
> A 比 B + (更) + Adjective

So:

在公园散步比在家上网更放松。
- literally: “Walking in the park, compared with surfing the internet at home, is more relaxing.”
- 放松 acts as a verbo-adjective: “to be relaxing / to be relaxed”

You don’t normally say:

✗ 在公园散步比在家上网是更放松的。 (sounds unnatural here)

You might see 是…的 structures for emphasis or description, but not in this straightforward comparative sentence.

Is 放松 a verb or an adjective in this sentence? How else can I use it?

In this sentence, 放松 behaves like an adjective meaning “relaxing / relaxed.”

Common uses:

Adjective (stative):
- 我觉得很放松。 = I feel very relaxed.
- 这种音乐很放松。 = This kind of music is very relaxing.
Verb (“to relax”):
- 周末好好放松一下。 = Really relax a bit this weekend.
- 别紧张，放松一点。 = Don’t be nervous, relax a bit.

In 更放松, it’s clearly a degree-of-state: “more relaxed / more relaxing.”

What’s the difference between 散步 and 走路? Why use 散步 here?

散步 means “to take a walk / go for a stroll”, usually for relaxation or pleasure.
走路 literally means “to walk (go on foot)”, focusing on the action of walking, not necessarily for fun.

So:

在公园散步 = taking a leisurely stroll in the park (fits “relaxing”)
在公园走路 = just walking in the park (maybe commuting, exercising, etc.)

Because the sentence is about what is more relaxing, 散步 is the more natural and idiomatic choice.

Why is it 在家上网, not 上网在家? What’s the rule for word order?

Chinese word order for location is generally:

(在 + place) + verb + object

So:

在家上网 = at home + surf the internet
在图书馆学习 = in the library + study
在公司工作 = at the company + work

上网在家 is wrong because you’re trying to put the location after the verb phrase. In Chinese, the location expression usually comes before the main action, not after it.

Could I say 对他来讲 or 对他而言 instead of 对他来说?

Yes, these are very close in meaning:

对他来说
对他来讲
对他而言

All can mean “for him / from his standpoint / in his opinion.”

Nuance:

对他来说 is the most common and neutral in everyday speech.
对他来讲 is also common and colloquial.
对他而言 sounds a bit more formal/written.

Your sentence with alternatives:

对他来说，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 (most natural)
对他来讲，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 (fine)
对他而言，在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 (a bit more formal)

Who is the “subject” of this sentence? It feels like there is no clear “he” or “it is” as in English.

Chinese often uses a topic–comment structure instead of a clear subject–verb structure like English.

Topic:

对他来说 = As for him / For him

Comment (what is true for him):

在公园散步比在家上网更放松。 = walking in the park is more relaxing than surfing the internet at home.

So the whole sentence is:

[For him], [walking in the park is more relaxing than surfing the internet at home].

There’s no explicit “it” or “is”, but in Chinese that’s normal; the relationship is understood through word order and the comparative pattern.