FOR vs TO

TO + verb (infinitive), FOR + noun/pronoun/duration

Practice Exercise
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Question 1 of 10

I went to the shop _____ buy some bread.

Context: Purpose with infinitive

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Common Examples

I went to the store for buy milk

I went to the store to buy milk

Use TO before infinitive verbs

This gift is to you

This gift is for you

Use FOR before nouns/pronouns as recipients

I've been waiting to two hours

I've been waiting for two hours

Use FOR with time duration

She came for help me

She came to help me

TO + infinitive for purpose

Why Spanish Speakers Make This Mistake

Spanish uses 'para' for both 'for' and 'to' in many contexts

Linguistic Explanation

In Spanish, 'para' indicates purpose, destination, and recipient, covering uses of both English 'for' and 'to'. This one-to-many mapping causes L1 interference.

Spanish: Fui a la tienda para comprar leche

Spanish 'para' doesn't distinguish between purpose (to) and beneficiary (for)

Important Exceptions

•Some verbs take FOR + -ing: 'Thank you for helping'
•Adjective + FOR + person + TO + verb: 'It's easy for me to understand'