What's the difference between "belong to me" and "belong with me"?
For example:
"My darling, I'm very happy that you belong to me."
"My darling, I'm very happy that you belong with me." (one example in a song)
What's the difference between these two sentences?
Best Answer
As an example of a clear-cut differentiating context, suppose on his first day at a new school, a student is unsure whether to go into classroom A or classroom B. A second student - himself a new arrival - knows that all new students should report to classroom A on their first day. He might say You belong with me, as he invites the other to follow him into the correct classroom.
That second student would never say You belong to me. But if it was the teacher (about to go into classroom A herself, and having been asked by the first new arrival where he should go), it would be at least feasible1 for her to use to instead of with.
1 As per comments below, at least some people would find the teacher's use of belong to inappropriate / offensive. Which simply goes to prove the point that asserting a person "belongs to" another person strongly implies that the (usually, metaphoric) "owner" may be exercising undue dominance.