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A couple of weeks ago some of my students asked me what the difference was between “ok with” someone and “ok for” someone. I thought it was a very good question, so I’d like to share the answer with you today.

When we say something is ok with us, it means that it is agreeable to us. However, when we say something is ok for us, it means that it is convenient for us. For example:

A: How about having Korean food for dinner tonight?

B: Sure. That’s ok with me. I like Korean food.

I wanted to go to Egypt for vacation, but it wasn’t ok with my wife. She really hates hot places.

I’d like to see an action movie tonight. Is that ok with you?

A: I’d like to get together with you at 3:00 this afternoon. Is that time ok for you?

B: I’m afraid not. I have another appointment at 3:00, but 4:30 is ok for me.

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A: How about meeting in Brentwood?

B: That’s not good for me. I live really far from there.

In the last example, I used “That’s not good for me”. I think this sounds more natural than “That’s not ok for me”. When we talk about a convenient time, we usually use “ok for”, but when we talk about a convenient place, we usually use “good for”. In both cases, we must use the preposition “for” because it’s about being convenient.