belong to sb
phr. v..phr. v.. To be owned by a person or a group. You use this to say who is the owner of something.
phr. v.. To be the property or possession of a person or entity. This is a stative verb indicating ownership and is always followed by an object.
This pen belongs to Sarah.
Excuse me, does this scarf belong to you? I found it on the floor.
The disputed territories, which have historically belonged to the smaller nation, became the focus of intense international diplomacy.
- Particles
- to
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- belong + to + object
As a stative verb, it is not used in continuous tenses (e.g., 'is belonging').
Contrast the structure with 'own': the subject of 'belong to' is the item owned, while the subject of 'own' is the owner.
This car is belonging to my father.This car belongs to my father.'Belong' is a stative verb, so it is not used in continuous tenses like the present continuous.