"for" or "to"

Hi Brb,

Welcome to the Forum.

Could someone explain me when I have to use "for" or "to" in a sentence when they have the same meaning? Your question is not clear to me. Are you asking whether 'for' and 'to' have the same meaning?

Please write your question again, another way.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi Clive,
Sometimes I don't know if I have to use "for" or "to" in a sentence whether they have the same meaning. I know that "to" has only one meaning, but "for" can be used in different meanings and one of those is the same as "to".
For example, which one is right:
This is for me
This is to me
I'm gonna buy it to you
I'm gonna buy it for you
I need it for the office

Hi again,

This is for me OK
This is to me OK if you are sorting out the mail and you find a letter that is addressed to you
I'm gonna buy it to you No
I'm gonna buy it for you Yes
I need it for the office Yes
I need it to the office... No

Best wishes, Clive

Thanks for helping!

Hi Clive,

I'm gonna buy it to you No
I'm gonna buy it for you Yes

Would you please explain the grammatical reason for 'to' being wrong in the above sentence?

Hi,

I'm gonna buy it to you No
I'm gonna buy it for you Yes

Would you please explain the grammatical reason for 'to' being wrong in the above sentence? Not a totally easy question, as I think you know. Simply put, 'to' expresses direction of the verb, 'for' expresses 'reason, purpose, on behalf of'.

Be

Clear and sharp explanation, Clive. Thanks. So, the functions of 'to' and 'for' ,like other prepositions, depend upon the verb. For example, "I'm gonna give it to you" and "I'm gonna buy it from him' are correct. Right?

Yes. Clive