Purpose: per + infinitive, per tal de
Purpose answers "what for?" and attaches to the verb as per + infinitive: Vaig allà per veure el mar — I go there to see the sea. The infinitive does not change and has no subject of its own: the purpose is simply the direction of movement. For example: “Vaig allà per veure el mar” — I go there to see the sea. A rule from the Valencian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Purpose answers "what for?" and attaches to the verb as per + infinitive: Vaig allà per veure el mar — I go there to see the sea. The infinitive does not change and has no subject of its own: the purpose is simply the direction of movement.
In letters and notices they like it sturdier — per tal de + infinitive: Truqueu per tal de confirmar la reserva. The same sense, an official tone.
Before a noun the purpose comes out as the preposition per a: un regal per a la mare — a present for mom. And do not mix purpose with cause: "per" + infinitive is "in order to", while "perquè" + a clause is "because". One answers for the dream, the other for the fact.
Table
| frame | example | in English |
|---|---|---|
| per + infinitive | per veure el mar | to see the sea |
| per tal de + infinitive | per tal de confirmar | in order to (bookish) |
| per a + noun | un regal per a la mare | a present for mom |
By example
- Vaig allà per veure el marI go there to see the sea
- Estalvio per comprar una casaI am saving to buy a house
- Truqueu per tal de confirmar la reservaCall to confirm the booking
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Purpose: how does it work in Valencian?
Purpose answers "what for?" and attaches to the verb as per + infinitive: Vaig allà per veure el mar — I go there to see the sea. The infinitive does not change and has no subject of its own: the purpose is simply the direction of movement.
What does it look like in an example sentence Valencian?
“Vaig allà per veure el mar” — I go there to see the sea. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.