Para or a (Is there a formula for using para or a for the word to)?

Question

Is there a link or a article or can somebody explain why sometimes para is used and sometimes a is used and sometimes nothing is used for the word to?

Great question Maria...I'm following. - 0095ca4c, Dec 1, 2012

Answer 1

Good question,

When nothing is used, it is usually because it is the fininitive, generally following another conjugated verb.

I want to run Yo quiero correr

When para is used, it is very often in the sense of "for the purpose of" You can test it and see if you could substitute English's "in order to" If you can, then you probably want para

Quiero estudiar = I want to study (no ´´to´´ used). Estudiar para aprender = I study to learn = I study in order to le.arn.

Combined (both in one sentence) Quiero estudiar para aprender el español.

Answer 2

And as Mariana said, this is a super super common topic which we all go through. When to use nothing, vs ´a´, vs ´para´, and later, when to use para vs por. Good stuff on this site´s grammar section and learnspanish.com and about.com. Good luck.

Answer 3

Good morning, Maria.

There is SO much out there on the internet regarding this subject. I like spanish.about.com a lot and I also looked in several dictionaries for examples of how each is used.

The only two uses that I know for 100% sure are:

• When you say "thank you" for something = Gracias por xyz.

• When you say that an item is for someone = El regalo es para María.

Then you have your expressions:

• Por supuesto

• Por ejemplo

• Por favor