Je vais prendre un taxi pour aller à la gare.

They are doing two different jobs.

• vais in je vais prendre is part of the near-future structure: aller + infinitive
  • je vais prendre = I am going to take
• aller in pour aller à la gare keeps its full meaning:
  • aller à la gare = to go to the station

So the sentence is literally built like:

• Je vais prendre un taxi = I’m going to take a taxi
• pour aller à la gare = in order to go to the station

French often uses aller this way, even if another aller appears later in the sentence.

Both can refer to the future, but they feel a little different.

• Je vais prendre un taxi = I’m going to take a taxi
  • very common in everyday speech
  • often suggests a planned or immediate future
• Je prendrai un taxi = I will take a taxi
  • simple future
  • can sound a bit more formal, neutral, or less immediate

In normal conversation, French speakers often prefer aller + infinitive, especially for something they are about to do or have already decided.

In French, prendre is the normal verb for using many forms of transport.

Examples:

• prendre le train = to take the train
• prendre le bus = to take the bus
• prendre un taxi = to take a taxi
• prendre l’avion = to take the plane

This is very similar to English take a taxi. So prendre here is completely natural.

Because French usually needs an article before a singular countable noun.

So:

• un taxi = a taxi
• le taxi = the taxi

Unlike English, French generally does not say just take taxi. You need an article:

• prendre un taxi
• prendre le taxi

Here, un is used because it means some unspecified taxi, not a particular one.

Un taxi means a taxi, any taxi, not a specific one.

Use le taxi if you mean:

• a specific taxi already known in the conversation
• or sometimes a general idea in another kind of sentence

In this sentence, the speaker just means they will get a taxi, not a particular one. So un taxi is the natural choice.

Pour means to, in order to, or for the purpose of here.

So:

• pour aller à la gare = to go to the station / in order to go to the station

It explains the purpose of taking the taxi.

So the full logic is:

• I’m going to take a taxi
• for the purpose of going to the station

This kind of pour + infinitive structure is very common in French.

Examples:

• Je viens pour parler au directeur. = I’m coming to speak to the manager.
• Elle étudie pour réussir. = She studies in order to succeed.

Because à la gare would then sound like the place where you are taking the taxi, not the destination.

Compare:

• Je vais prendre un taxi pour aller à la gare.

  • I’m going to take a taxi to go to the station.
  • The station is the destination.

• Je vais prendre un taxi à la gare.

  • I’m going to take a taxi at the station.
  • The station is the location where you get the taxi.

So pour aller à la gare is important if you want to show where you are going.

Because gare is a feminine singular noun, and à is the normal preposition for a destination in many cases.

• gare = station
• la gare = the station
• à la gare = to the station / at the station

There is no contraction with à + la.

Compare:

• à la gare = to the station
• au bureau = to the office (à + le = au)
• aux magasins = to the shops (à + les = aux)

So:

• à + la gare → à la gare

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

• à la gare = to the station
  • clear destination
• vers la gare = toward the station
  • direction, but not necessarily all the way there

So if you mean the taxi will take you to the station, à la gare is the better choice.

Yes. A very common shorter version is:

• Je vais à la gare en taxi. = I’m going to the station by taxi.

This version focuses on the trip itself.

The original sentence:

• Je vais prendre un taxi pour aller à la gare.

puts more emphasis on the decision or action of taking a taxi.

So both are natural, but they highlight slightly different things:

• prendre un taxi = the action/choice of transport
• aller à la gare en taxi = the journey and means of transport

A careful pronunciation would be approximately:

Je vais prendre un taxi pour aller à la gare
/ʒə vɛ pʁɑ̃dʁ œ̃ tak.si puʁ a.le a la ɡaʁ/

A few useful points:

• je often sounds very light: j’ /ʒə/ or even reduced in fast speech
• vais sounds like vè
• prendre has a nasal vowel in pran-
• un has a nasal vowel too
• gare ends with a pronounced r

In natural speech, it may sound a bit smoother and more connected than the slow careful version.