Near 可當介系詞、形容詞、副詞和動詞用，而 near to 只用作介系詞。Near 和 near to 用作介系詞時為同義詞，但 near 比較常用。本文將僅就這兩者的用法做一說明。它們主要用在下列三種情況：
1. 用在距離上來表示「(離 …) 不遠，靠近」的意思。例如：
- Is there a hotel near here? (這附近有旅館嗎？)
- I’d like to sit near a window, please. (請給我一個靠窗的座位)
- She lives in a small town near Pingtung County. (她住在屏東縣附近的一個小鎮)
- Don’t come too near (to) me – you might catch my cold. (別靠我太近 － 你可能會被我傳染感冒)
- Which restaurant is nearest (to) her house? (哪家餐廳離她家最近？)