para isn't the same in English

I've noticed that Spanish speakers use "for" often, and I've realized that it probably comes from the use of "para." 

For example: "Estudio para aprender" is "I study to learn" in English, but some people say "I study for to learn" or "I study for learn." I think it's because people are directly translating "para aprender" literally. 

Spanish infinitives are always one word that is conjugated (-ar, -er, -ir), but English infinitives are "to" plus the base verb. So instead of transferring the concept from Spanish into English, drop it and think in English.

At home

I've decided to post some English tips here since I've been teaching ESL a lot more, and I encounter similar issues in pretty much every class.

Here's a common phrase I hear:

"On Saturday, I stayed in my house."

This means that you are literally inside the house, instead of outside the house; you're saying that you are in an enclosed physical space. 

Instead, you have to use "at" instead of "in" because it's an activity at a location. 

"On Saturday, I stayed at home."

This person is inside a house (as opposed to outside the house).