I bought the book for my son.

Question

One English book says,1. "I bought the book for my son." means I bought the book to give it to my son.someone on another post said 2. "Please pass the salt for me. (means you want somebody to give somebody else the salt on your behalf)"Comparing to 2, can 1 mean "I bought the book to another person because my son asked me to"?I'm so confused with this.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

kis7385can 1 mean "I bought the book to for another person because my son asked me to"?

Yes. That is another meaning of the same sentence.

CJ

Kis7385 · Answer

Thank you, CJ

Then, I suppose 2 can also mean "pass the salt to me" vise versa.

But I'm afraid this is wrong. Could you explain why?

CalifJim · Answer

kis7385Then, I suppose 2 can also mean "pass the salt to me"

No. The difference is in the verb itself. The verb pass allows both to and for. When a verb can take both, then each means something different.

Pass the salt to me. (I want to receive the salt.)
Pass the salt for me. (Someone else receives the salt.)

But the verb buy cannot be used with to. You don't buy something to someone, but only for someone. Therefore buy for has to take both meanings.

Buy the shirt for me. (I want to receive the shirt.)
Buy the shirt for me. (Someone else receives the shirt.)

Only by paying attention to the conversation and understanding the context can you know which of the two is meant.
_____________

Besides the synonym of buy -- purchase -- there are other verbs of obtaining which have the same idiosyncrasy, for example, get, retrieve, order, and steal. These verbs can take the preposition for to indicate a beneficiary or to indicate a recipient. It takes more context to determine which interpretation is correct.

I'm going to order a new jacket for my brother.

1. My brother is the beneficiary. I order the jacket as a favor to him. I don't know who is going to receive the jacket.
2. My brother is the recipient. He receives the jacket.

It is even possible, though much less usual, to use for twice, once for each function. The beneficiary is the one who receives the favor. The recipient is the one who receives the object itself.

Please get another copy of the newspaper for me [beneficiary] for my wife [recipient].
I'm going to order a shirt for my brother [beneficiary] for his son [recipient].
Why don't you steal that bread for me [beneficiary] for my poor cousins [recipient]?

CJ

I bought the book for my son.

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