Explanation for para + infinitive
I know that para/por is right up there with trying to learn ser/estar, but I think para/por is más difícil! In the following examples, why is "para" used?
¿Puedo tomar este tren para ir a París?
El perro quiere algo para beber.
Ella quiere algo para comer.
In the last example, the direct translation would be, "She wants something for to eat". But in this case, is "para" used to mean something like "in order"?
Can I take this train in order to go to Paris?
The dog wants something in order to drink?
She wants something in order to eat?
¡Gracias por/para la ayuda!
3 Answers
You are correct - para + verb = "in order to + base verb (infinitive without "to" )
Of course in English "in order to" is not often needed but sometimes it is.
Hi Toshasem
Your examples are not good examples of the English use of "in order to"
Can I take this train in order to go to Paris?
The dog wants something in order to drink?
She wants something in order to eat? - but - She needs a knife and fork in order to eat something.
In these cases you can just leave out the "in order"
Let's try to make a sentence where the use of "in order to" would be appropriate.
She needs at least 70% in the final exam in order to (to enable her to) graduate.
but you could just say :
She needs at least 70% in the final exam to graduate.
In my opinion the 1st one sounds better.
So when we see verbs like "comer", "beber", and "ir", they don't always have the meaning of "to eat", "to drink", and "to go" like an infinitive verb in English does?
In English, a verb in it's infinitive form always has the word "to" attached.
That is not the case in Spanish? If not, my examples above are incorrect... well, at least the parts of the sentences that I have in bold are not correct.
