It is difficult to explain, but I found this that might give you some insight. To: Expresses direction/ transfer towards, ex: She walked to the door; He gave some money to charity. Expresses purpose (verb + to + verb), ex: We ran to catch the train Shows a time period, ex: He works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Indicates a limit, ex: The cup was full to the top For: Expresses benefit of a person/ thing, ex: He opened the door for me Expresses reason (because of), ex: He runs for his health Shows the duration of time, ex: He works for 8 hours a day Indicates a distance ex: He ran for 6 miles

By any chance do you speak Spanish? It shows your language as English, but just in case you speak some Spanish.... for is the same as "por" in Spanish. to is the same as "a" in Spanish. You give something to someone. "a algien" Or you go to the store - al mercado. You don't go por el mercado. You look for something "por algo" You hold the door open for someone "por algien" My Spanish isn't very good, but sometimes it helps to use a translation. But, basically, "for" is more about doing something or giving something. These flowers are for you. Not, "these flowers are to you." And it's also obviously used when you look for something. I hope that makes sense. Sorry if I just confused things more by bringing my bad Spanish into the discussion :-)

I like valerie's example. "He ran for 6 miles" which makes you think about the entire 6 mile journey, start to finish. You could also say something like "He ran to the 6th mile" which makes you think only about the final destination. The above example does not give the only definition there are multiple uses of the words. There could be lots for explanation.

1. One of the definitions of "to" as preposition is: "expressing agreement or accordance". "According to us". 2. Another use is "intent or purpose" "Way to escape". 3. I think, the same as 2.