Care about/for

Question

I want to use word "care" and for example:
I care about my car
or I care for my car
I care about weather
or
I care for weather
what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong?? Thanks a lot.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I want to use word "care" and for example: I care about my car or I care for my car what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong?? Thanks a lot.[/nq]
They are both correct, but can have different shades of meaning.

"I care about my car" could mean that you don't want someone damaging it.

"I care for my car" could mean that you change the oil on the proper schedule.
To summarize, I'd say that "care about" tends to be more mental or emotional, while "care for" tends to suggest physical activity.

However, there are exceptions. "I don't care for broccoli" means you dislike it. "I don't care about broccoli" means you have no strong opinion.
[nq:1]I care about weather or I care for weather[/nq]
"Care about" is fine, regarding the weather... it means the weather is generally important to you. Using "the" in from of "weather" is optional.

"Care for weather" is awkward and unclear, however. The closest thing that I would say is the negative: "I don't care for the weather", meaning I don't like the rain or whatever. Here, using "the" in front of "weather" is necessary, since you're talking about some particular manifestation of weather, at a time and place that must be taken from context.

Jack Gavin

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I want to use word "care" and for example: I care about my car or I care for my car I care about weather or I care for weather what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong??[/nq]
They're both right sometimes, but they mean quite different things.

I care about my car = it is important to me
I care for my car = I look after it carefully
You could care about your car but employ somebody else to care for it (service it, wash it). Or you could care for it, because you want it to fetch a good price when you sell it, but not really care about it - that is, cars are not something that interests you much; you don't mind what sort of car you have.
It follows that you can care about weather (most of us do, I suppose), but you can't care for weather, because it doesn't need you to feed it, clean it, etc.
There is another meaning of "care for" which is to like or feel affection for. This is closer to "care about", of course. But in the above sentences I would think first of the meaning "to look after".

I care about spiders (that is, it matters to me whether there is a spider in my bath), but I don't care for spiders (I don't look after them) and I don't care for spiders (I don't like them much).
I don't care about the rain (it won't stop me going out), and I don't care for the rain (I don't like it much), but you can't say "I don't care for the rain" in the sense of looking after it, because you can't look after rain.

Katy

Usenet · Answer

Thus spake leza:
[nq:1]I want to use word "care" and for example: I care about my car or I care for my car I care about weather or I care for weather what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong?? Thanks a lot.[/nq]
I don't care.
Did you lose your job?

Simon R. Hughes

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I want to use word "care" and for example: I care about my car or I care for my car I care about weather or I care for weather what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong?? Thanks a lot.[/nq]
For the 10th time: Ask your Canadian neighbors or colleagues.

Reinhold (Rey) Aman

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I want to use word "care" and for example: I care about my car or I care for my car I care about weather or I care for weather what is correct one "care about" or "care both" or both are wrong?? Thanks a lot.[/nq]
If you mean "think ... is important", use "care about".

"Care for" means "look after" or "love".
If you want to say "look after", use "look after" or "take care of".

Adrian

Care about/for

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