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For instance:

  • This sport is suitable/fit for me.
  • This game is too violent. It is not suitable/fit for me.
  • I moved to south. The climate there was not suitable/fit for me.
  • This woman is suitable/fit for me.
  • Teaching is suitable/fit for me.
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Thank you all for your help. It is clear now. – stephen Apr 24 '12 at 13:52

4 Answers

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As Neil notes, it is more common to say "this doesn't suit me" than "this isn't suitable for me". "Suitable" is more formal.

"Fit" implies a level of quality or ability. If you say, "Sally is not fit to be my girlfriend" you're saying that she's not good enough. That would be an insult. But if you say, "Sally does not suit me as a girlfriend", it's more ambiguous. The issue may be that she's not good enough, or it may just be that the two of you are incompatible. Still, I'd avoid using either term to describe a person unless I didn't care about insulting them. Instead I'd use a different choice of words that are more clear, like "Sally and I were not a good match."

Also note that "fit" can also refer to something being of the appropriate size or shape. Like if you say, "This shirt doesn't fit me", that would normally be understood to mean that it was too big or too small, rather than being a style that you don't like. "This shirt doesn't suit me" would be understood to mean you don't like the style.

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up vote 0 down vote

Using suitable as you have is correct, though it tends to sound better to say "It doesn't suit me." rather than "It is not suitable for me."

As for fit (guys across the pond correct me if it's not this way in Great Britain), it tends to be more used as a gerund, as in "This cocktail dress is not fitting for a formal event." Used as an adjective, the meaning tends to lean more towards "in shape" than "suitable," as in, "You're looking fit. Did you lose a few pounds?"

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Point of order: The fact that a word with multiple meanings – such as fit – happens to be used more frequently in one way over another does not preclude it from being used in a lesser-used but legitimate context. (By the way, it's been nice having intercouse with you.) – J.R. Apr 23 '12 at 15:38
"All the news that's fit to print." :) – Eugene Seidel Apr 23 '12 at 15:49
@J.R. Think you meant "intercourse", and yes I get your point. However, you don't very well want to tell some Russian that intercourse means conversation and have that poor man tell an english speaker that he liked the intercourse they had. All I can do as an english speaker is correct what sounds strange to me, and that's going to differ from what's strange to you. Unless you want dictionary citations, these are the kinds of answers you can expect. Eugene, never heard that expression before. – Neil Apr 24 '12 at 9:18
@Neil: Yup, you caught my typo and my drift. I get what you're saying – and I doubt I'd ever use the word intercourse like I did, unless I was trying to inject some humor (which I was) – but we shouldn't necessarily limit our word choices as if we're communicating with a foreigner, either. As for the expression "All the news that's fit to print," that's printed daily on the front page of the New York Times. – J.R. Apr 24 '12 at 9:34
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And in exactly the same spirit ... A little organization I was a member of years ago used to put out a one-page monthly newsletter. At the bottom they had the slogan, "All the news that fits". – Jay Apr 24 '12 at 14:16
up vote 0 down vote

OAD defines:

suitable (adj) - right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation

fit (adj) - of a suitable quality, standard or type to meet the required purpose

So, as in your sentences you add "for me" (particular person), I would say(1):

  • This sport is suitable for me
  • This game is too violent. It is not suitable for me.
  • I moved to(2) south. The climate there was not suitable for me.
  • This woman is suitable for me.
  • Teaching is suitable for me.

(1) However, it would need more context.
(2) As @Jay noticed in his comment.

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Side note: You should say, "I moved south" or "I moved to the south". – Jay Apr 23 '12 at 15:49
@Jay copy/paste from OP! – Carlo_R. Apr 23 '12 at 15:59
up vote 0 down vote

A word I would use is "appropriate."

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