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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 | |
|---|---|
| Excuse me!? I just played with the kids to keep them entertained. | ¿¡Perdón!? Sólo jugué con los niños para mantenerlos entretenidos. |
| Alright, I need one of you to help me open the door. | De acuerdo, necesito que uno de ustedes dos me ayude a abrir la puerta. |
| I think she went upstairs to get some sleep. | Creo que ha subido arriba a dormir un poco. |
| 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? |
| It requires two people to do it... | Necesita de dos personas para abrirse... |
| She called me last night to let me know about the clogged toilet... | Ella me llamó anoche para decirme lo del inodoro tupido... |
| Mike just went to get us some drinks. | Mike acaba de ir a buscar algunas bebidas. |
| I think you are doing this on purpose to annoy me. | Creo que estás haciendo esto a propósito para enojarme. |
| I need a couple of days to finish my projects... | Necesito un par de días para terminar mis proyectos... |
| I'm just calling you to check if you are ready. | Solo te llamo para comprobar si estás lista. |
| 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 already did it a couple of months ago to find this one. | Eso ya lo hice hace un par de meses para encontrar esta. |
| Are you here to talk about this issue, Nick? | ¿Estás aquí para hablar de ese asunto, Nick? |
| 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. |
| I knew you were waiting to ask that question! | ¡Sabía que estabas esperando para preguntarme eso! |
| I will try to talk to her to solve the problem! | ¡Trataré de hablar con ella para resolver el problema! |
| It helped me a lot to save some time. | Me ayudó mucho para ahorrar algo de tiempo. |
| I'm here with a plumber to fix the clogged toilet. | Estoy aquí con un plomero para arreglar el inodoro tupido. |
| Yeah, they reduce the price to get rid of them. | Sí, reducen los precios para librarse de ellos. |
| What? Excuse me! Are you just calling to tell me this now? | ¿Qué? ¡Perdona! ¿Solo me llamas para decirme esto ahora? |
