Spanish flag

Saying 'ready to' and 'useful for' with 'para' + infinitive

When a Spanish adjective says that someone is ready for something, or that a thing is good, useful or suitable for a purpose, the activity usually follows as para + infinitive: listo para salir, útil para aprender, adecuado para trabajar. The word para points to the goal or intended use, and the verb after it always stays in its basic infinitive form.

English speakers trip over this because English does not use one fixed pattern. We say ready to leave but useful for learning. That leads to two typical mistakes: dropping the preposition (listo salir) or translating for + -ing word for word with a gerund (útil para aprendiendo). In Spanish both English patterns become the same thing: para + infinitive.

Word list
buenomA1 good bueno para dormir = good for sleeping excelenteA1 great excelente para aprender = excellent for learning importanteA1 important importante para aprender = important for learning malomA1 bad malo para dormir = bad for sleeping disponibleA2 available disponible para trabajar = available to work estupendomA2 great estupendo para descansar = great for relaxing fantásticomA2 great fantástico para pasear = fantastic for walking genialA2 great genial para viajar = great for traveling necesariomA2 necessary necesario para viajar = necessary for traveling peligrosomA2 dangerous peligroso para nadar = dangerous to swim in perfectomA2 perfect perfecto para descansar = perfect for relaxing seguromA2 safe seguro para nadar = safe to swim (but seguro de = sure of) suficienteA2 enough suficiente para comprar = enough to buy útilA2 useful útil para aprender = useful for learning adecuadomB1 suitable adecuado para trabajar = suitable for working apropiadomB1 suitable apropiado para estudiar = suitable for studying efectivomB1 effective efectivo para reducir = effective at reducing eficazB1 effective eficaz para eliminar = effective at removing eficienteB1 efficient eficiente para procesar = efficient for processing esencialB1 important esencial para entender = essential for understanding horribleB1 awful horrible para dormir = awful for sleeping inútilB1 useless inútil para resolver esto = useless for solving this listomB1 prepared listo para empezar = ready to start magníficomB1 great magnífico para descansar = wonderful for relaxing preparadomB1 prepared preparado para salir = ready to leave terribleB1 awful terrible para conducir = terrible for driving imprescindibleB2 indispensable imprescindible para entrar = essential for getting in inadecuadomB2 unsuitable inadecuado para vivir = unfit to live in inapropiadomB2 unsuitable inapropiado para realizar = unsuitable for doing indispensableB2 indispensable indispensable para trabajar = indispensable for working pésimomB2 awful pésimo para estudiar = terrible for studying provechosomB2 useful provechoso para mejorar = beneficial for improving idóneomC1 suitable idóneo para resolver = ideal for solving
How it works

The construction is simple: adjective + para + infinitive. The adjective agrees with the person or thing it describes, while the infinitive never changes.

  • English to + verb: ready to start becomes listo para empezar.
  • English for + -ing: good for relaxing becomes bueno para relajarse.

Rule of thumb: if the adjective is about readiness, usefulness, suitability or effectiveness, and you want to name the purpose with a verb, reach for para. The same para also works with a noun: listo para el examen, útil para el trabajo.

¿Estás lista para salir?
(Are you ready to leave?)
Este programa es útil para aprender vocabulario.
(This program is useful for learning vocabulary.)
The words
Ready

Listo and preparado both mean ready or prepared. Use them with estar.

Los niños ya están preparados para ir al colegio.
(The kids are ready to go to school now.)
Estamos listos para empezar.
(We're ready to start.)
Useful or useless

Útil is the everyday word. Provechoso is a little more formal and suggests real benefit. Inútil is the opposite.

Leer en voz alta es provechoso para mejorar la pronunciación.
(Reading aloud is beneficial for improving your pronunciation.)
Este mapa es inútil para encontrar la calle.
(This map is useless for finding the street.)
Suitable or unsuitable

Adecuado and apropiado mean suitable or right for the purpose. Idóneo is more formal and close to ideal. Perfecto is the friendly everyday version. The negatives are inadecuado and inapropiado.

Esta mesa no es adecuada para trabajar, es muy baja.
(This table isn't suitable for working at. It's too low.)
La biblioteca es un lugar apropiado para estudiar, y este parque es perfecto para descansar.
(The library is a suitable place to study, and this park is perfect for relaxing.)
Ana es la persona idónea para resolver el problema.
(Ana is the ideal person to solve the problem.)
El edificio es inadecuado para vivir, y esta herramienta es inapropiada para realizar esa tarea.
(The building is unfit to live in, and this tool is unsuitable for doing that job.)
Effective and efficient

Eficaz and efectivo mean that something gets the result you want. Eficiente means it does so without wasting time or resources.

Este producto es eficaz para eliminar manchas, y las ventanas nuevas son efectivas para reducir el ruido.
(This product is effective at removing stains, and the new windows are effective at reducing noise.)
Necesitamos un ordenador más eficiente para procesar datos.
(We need a more efficient computer for processing data.)
Good, bad, necessary, enough

Very common adjectives follow the same pattern when they describe a purpose: bueno, malo, necesario and suficiente.

El té es bueno para dormir, pero el café es malo para dormir.
(Tea is good for sleeping, but coffee is bad for sleeping.)
El dinero no es suficiente para comprar un coche, pero es necesario para viajar.
(The money isn't enough to buy a car, but it's necessary for traveling.)
Watch out
Never a gerund

English -ing after for is always an infinitive in Spanish: útil para aprender, not útil para aprendiendo.

Ready vs. willing

Listo para salir means you are ready to go. Being willing to do something uses a: dispuesto a salir.

Ser listo vs. estar listo

Estar listo para means to be ready. Ser listo means to be clever.

Easy to do

Adjectives like fácil and difícil, used for how easy something is to do, take de: fácil de usar. Compare útil para usar in a purpose sense.

Other prepositions are possible

With a noun naming an area, you may also hear eficaz en or eficiente en (eficiente en su trabajo). For a purpose expressed with a verb, para is the safe choice.

Too and enough

Para also follows demasiado + adjective: Es demasiado joven para votar (He's too young to vote). Similar adjectives, such as apto, behave the same way.

Summary

When an adjective says something is ready, useful, suitable, effective, good or bad for a purpose, put the activity after para + infinitive. English ready to leave and useful for learning both become the same Spanish pattern: listo para salir, útil para aprender. Never use a gerund after para, and never leave the preposition out.