Para + infinitive vs. a + infinitive.
Hello.
Until recently, I believed that "para" must go in front of an infinitive to express purpose. Consider the following:
"Un bastón puede ayudarte para caminar".
"Para" expresses purpose or intent ("A cane can help you in order to walk" is how I think of this in English). The sentence "un bastón puede ayudarte a caminar" is incorrect...or so I thought. Recently, I have come across several sentences where "a" is used in a place where "para" seemed to belong. Here is an example:
"Cuando Aliatar fue avisado de que don Pedro estaba prisionero, vino en seguida a hablar con él".
Here, I thought "para" would be appropriate ("When Aliatar was notified that Don Pedro was held prisoner, he came immediately in order to speak with him", or for the purpose of speaking with him). Are "para" and "a" interchangeable in these cases? I was under the impression that they are not. When is it appropriate to use "para", and when is it appropriate to use "a"?
Thanks for reading.
1 Answer
As you mention 'para' is commonly used when the English translation might be 'in order to' or just 'to' but with the same meaning.
I'm not sure if you're in to grammar but if we're being technical here para is being used as what's called a 'subordinator of purpose'.
'A' is another slightly less common 'subordinator of purpose' and although I don't have a list of when it can be used instead of 'para' I can tell you that when 'a' is used as a 's.o.p' (connecting one verb to another infinitive) you are more likely to see it used with verbs that indicate motion from one place to another. (such as in your example)
Some other examples might be:
María empezó a salir. (María began to leave.)
Juan entró a hablar con el jefe. (John came in to talk to the boss.)
etc
