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To express purpose: 'for' is followed by a noun or gerund; 'to' is followed by an infinitive.
Side-by-side comparison
"For + noun/gerund" expresses the purpose or function of something: "This is for cleaning". The action ends in a noun or gerund.
This knife is for cutting bread, use the other one for meat and vegetables.
The park bench is for sitting and relaxing, not for standing or jumping on.
That drawer is for keeping important documents, do not put random things in there.
"To + infinitive" expresses the intention or goal of the person acting: "I came to help". The action is tied to the subject and their decision.
She went to the supermarket to buy milk and bread for the weekend ahead.
He called his friend to ask for advice about what to do about the whole situation.
They took a taxi to the airport to catch their early morning flight on time.
Common mistake
- •"I went to the store for buy milk" is wrong: "for" cannot be followed by an infinitive to express personal purpose.
- •For the purpose of a human action, always use "to + infinitive": "I went to the store TO BUY milk".
- •"For + gerund" is valid for describing the general function of an object: "This app is for buying tickets".
Trick to remember it
- •Describing something YOU do and why? "To + infinitive" ("I called TO CONFIRM").
- •Describing the general function of an object? "For + gerund" ("This button IS FOR CONFIRMING").
- •If you can insert "in order to": use "to + infinitive".
Quick rule
- •Purpose of a human action: "to + infinitive" ("I came to help").
- •Function of an object: "for + gerund" ("this is for helping users").
- •"For + infinitive" does not exist in English.
Did you know?
Historical English DID use "for + infinitive" to express purpose, visible in Medieval English texts: "he went for to see the king." This construction disappeared from standard English in the 18th century. Today "for to + infinitive" sounds dialectal or very archaic. The only modern exception of "for" before a verbal form is "for + gerund" (object function), firmly established in English from the 17th century onward.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She went to the supermarket _____ buy some milk.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She went to the supermarket _____ some milk.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Some verbs take a gerund (-ing), others take an infinitive (to + verb), and some take both with different meanings.
'In' goes with broad periods; 'on' goes with specific days and dates; 'at' goes with exact moments.
"On time" = punctual, exactly at the scheduled time; "in time" = with enough time, before it is too late.
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy