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In English we often use an infinitive with to to talk about a person’s purpose.
We can also use 'in order to' or 'so as to'.
'So as to' and 'in order to' are more common before verbs like be, have, know etc.
Before a negative infinitive, we normally use 'so as' or 'in order'.
Notes for use of infinitive of purpose :
We say I came here to study English NOT I came here for studying English OR I came here for to study English.
We can use for + noun to say why we do something.
| Infinitive of purpose example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Mike just went to get us some drinks. | Mike acaba de ir a buscar algunas bebidas. |
| It helped me a lot to save some time. | Me ayudó mucho para ahorrar algo de tiempo. |
| You can bring Pogo one day to see if they get on well. | Puedes traer a Pogo un día para ver si se llevan bien. |
| I think she went upstairs to get some sleep. | Creo que ha subido arriba a dormir un poco. |
| I brought him to see if he gets on well with Bear. | Lo traje para ver si se lleva bien con Bear. |
| Can you check the price tag to see if they are sold by the kilo or individually? | ¿Puedes comprobar el precio para ver si se venden por kilos o individualmente? |
| What? Excuse me! Are you just calling to tell me this now? | ¿Qué? ¡Perdona! ¿Solo me llamas para decirme esto ahora? |
| Don't you have a cleaner to help keep the house clean? | ¿No tienes un limpiador para ayudar a mantener la casa limpia? |
| I took a half day off work to bring Pogo to the vet. | Tomé un medio día libre en el trabajo para llevar a Pogo al veterinario. |
| She called me last night to let me know about the clogged toilet... | Ella me llamó anoche para decirme lo del inodoro tupido... |
| Arrgh... I can't believe he suggested leaving Pogo to take the room!!! | Arrgh... ¡¡No puedo creer que sugirió que dejara a Pogo para poder ocupar la habitación!! |
| I'm here with a plumber to fix the clogged toilet. | Estoy aquí con un plomero para arreglar el inodoro tupido. |
| Excuse me!? I just played with the kids to keep them entertained. | ¿¡Perdón!? Sólo jugué con los niños para mantenerlos entretenidos. |
| Yeah, they reduce the price to get rid of them. | Sí, reducen los precios para librarse de ellos. |
| I wonder how many times you brought her here to watch the sunset. | Me pregunto cuántas veces la trajiste aquí para ver el atardecer. |
| I knew you were waiting to ask that question! | ¡Sabía que estabas esperando para preguntarme eso! |
| Maybe it's better for us to meet up somewhere to talk about this. | Tal vez es mejor que nos reunamos en otro lado para hablar sobre esto. |
| We can find you a better house to live in. | Podemos encontrar una mejor casa para que vivas. |
| I need a couple of days to finish my projects... | Necesito un par de días para terminar mis proyectos... |
| I think you are doing this on purpose to annoy me. | Creo que estás haciendo esto a propósito para enojarme. |
