Pleased With: Standard Pattern
Pleased With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “pleased with” when expressing happiness or satisfaction with a person, thing, result, or performance.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| satisfaction with a person, thing, result, or performance | pleased with + noun/pronoun | Use “with” for this satisfaction relation. |
| happiness about an event or situation | pleased about / pleased that | These are separate documented complements. |
| gladness or willingness connected with an action | pleased to + verb | This is another documented construction, not an error. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you naming the person, thing, result, or performance that gives satisfaction?
If yes: Use “pleased with.”
If no: Use another documented complement such as “pleased about,” “pleased that,” or “pleased to” when the meaning and grammar call for it.
Caveat: “Pleased with” is one standard complement, not the only possible construction after “pleased.”
Examples
The client was pleased with the final design.
“With” introduces the result that gives satisfaction.
We were pleased that the issue was resolved.
A that-clause is a separate documented complement.
I am pleased to confirm your booking.
The to-infinitive is another standard construction.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “pleased with” when expressing happiness or satisfaction with a person, thing, result, or performance.
Style Boundary
Cambridge also records “pleased about,” “pleased that,” and “pleased to,” so “with” is one documented complement rather than the only possible construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Pleased (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct learner-dictionary evidence for pleased with, pleased about, pleased that, and pleased + to-infinitive constructions.