Learn Romanian: Citesc mult pentru a obține o notă bună. - I read a lot in order to obtain a good grade.

The phrase pentru a (meaning 'in order to') is always followed by the infinitive (dictionary) form of the verb. The word a in pentru a replaces the a you normally see in front of full infinitives like a obține.

Can I use ca să instead of pentru a to say 'in order to'?

Yes! You could say Citesc mult ca să obțin o notă bună. Using pentru a with the infinitive is just a slightly more formal or written way to express purpose, while ca să with a conjugated verb is more common in everyday speech.

Why doesn't the word mult change its ending here?

In this sentence, mult acts as an adverb describing the verb citesc (how much you read), translating to 'a lot'. Adverbs in Romanian never change their form. If it were describing a noun instead, like 'many books', it would change to match that noun (multe cărți).

Does notă mean the same thing as the English word 'note'?

It can mean a musical note, but in a school context like this, notă means a 'grade' or 'mark'. If you are talking about a written note or a short message to a friend, you would use a different word, like un bilet or un mesaj.