Be Willing To Do vs. Willing For Someone To Do
Cambridge directly documents both willing to do and willing for someone to do, providing a useful subject-sensitive complement distinction without inferred gerund symmetry.
Use “be willing to do something” when the grammatical subject is ready to act. Use “be willing for someone to do something” when willingness concerns another person’s action.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| the grammatical subject is ready to perform the action | willing + to-infinitive | use “willing to + verb” |
| the subject accepts or permits another person’s action | willing for + person + to-infinitive | use the “for + person + to” construction |
Quick tests
Actor test
Who is expected to perform the action: the subject, or another named person?
If yes: If the subject acts, use “willing to + verb.”
If no: If another person acts and the subject accepts that, use “willing for + person + to + verb.”
Caveat: The second pattern is a different complement structure; do not drop the other person when that relationship is the intended meaning.
Examples
Dana is willing to revise the draft.
Dana is the person who will revise it.
Dana is willing for Lee to revise the draft.
Lee performs the action; Dana accepts that arrangement.
I am willing to wait, but I am not willing for the deadline to move again.
The example contrasts subject action with willingness concerning another event.
Further guidance
Core difference
Cambridge documents willing to do for the subject’s readiness and willing for someone to do when the action belongs to another person.
Style Boundary
Keep the different subjects explicit; the for + person + to-infinitive pattern is not interchangeable with the simple willing + to-infinitive pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Be willing to (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for willing + to-infinitive and willing for + person + to-infinitive.