Beginner
Por vs para
How to use properly pro and para in Spanish? Read the extensive explanation
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Learning the differences between por and para is often quite challenging, and with good reason. In Spanish, both por and para take on the responsibilities of not only for, but also by, on, through, because of, in exchange for, in order to, and several other prepositions and phrases. Por suerte (luckily), we've got a whole series on this tricky pair, so get ready to master the differences between por and para!
Por
Por is used to talk about movement, modes and means of travel and communication, exchanges, duration, and motivation, among other things. Let's take a closer look at some examples of these common uses of por.
Travel and Communication
Por can be used to talk about the way you travel or communicate. This can refer to mode of travel (car, train, etc.) or communication (email, phone, etc.) or even the route you take.
La contacte por correo. I contacted her by mail.
Viaje por Francia y Espana. I traveled through France and Spain.
¿Quieres pasar por el parque? Do you want to go through the park?
Exchanges
Por is used to talk about exchanges and trades.
Te cambio mi manzana por tu sandwich. I'll trade you my apple for your sandwich.
Te doy sesenta pesos por la mochila. I'll give you sixty pesos for that backpack.
Duration
Por is used to talk about the length of time an activity went on for.
Tengo que trabajar por ocho horas hoy. I need to work for eight hours today.
¡Dormiste por 12 horas? ¡Que vida la tuya! You slept for 12 hours? Lucky dog!
Motivation
Por is used to talk about motivations or reasons for doing something.
Por su amor a los niiios, quiere ser pediatra. Because of her love for children, she wants to be a pediatrician.
Trabajo por ti, porque te quiero cuidar. I work for you, because I want to take care of you.
Para
Para is used to talk about destinations, recipients, deadlines, and goals. Check out the following examples of these common uses of para.
Destinations
Para is used to talk about physical destinations, especially the endpoint of a trip.
Salgo para Chile maiiana. I leave for Chile tomorrow.
¿Para donde vas con tanta prisa? Where are you going in such a hurry?
Recipients
Para is used to indicate the intended recipient of something, such as a gift.
Este regalo es para Adela. This gift is for Adela.
No, Bruno. Estos chocolates no son para los perros. No, Bruno. These chocolates aren't for dogs.
Deadlines
Para is used to talk about deadlines, including dates and times.
Necesito la presentaci6n para el viernes. I need the presentation by Friday.
Tengo que terminar esto para las ocho. I need to finish this by eight o'clock.
Goals
Para is used to talk about goals and purposes. It's especially common to see para used with an infinitive to talk about why something is done.
Trabaja mucho para ganar mas dinero. He works a lot in order to earn more money.
Corro para mantenerme en forma. I run to stay in shape.
More meanings
There are also many expressions that are used with por and para. Some very common examples are shown in the table below.
First, the list of common examples with por.
| Por phrase | English translation |
|---|---|
| por ejemplo | for example |
| por favor | please |
| por supuesto | of course |
| por ciento | percent |
| por qué | why |
| por fin | finally |
Here, some common examples with para.
| Para phrase | English translation |
|---|---|
| para siempre | forever |
| para variar | just for a change |
| para que | so that/in order that |
| para qué | for what reason |
| para dónde | where to |
| para ti | for you |
DREAM
Por is a preposition that is used in specific situations. An easy way to remember when you need to use por is by remembering the acronym DREAM: Each letter in DREAM stands for one of the situations in which you'll use por!
| Situation | Example (from song lytics!) | |
|---|---|---|
| D | DurationUse por when you want to talk about a length of time (the duration of something) | 🎶 Te amaría por mil años más 🎶I'd love you for a thousand years more "Amarte por mil años más" de Yadi Fernández |
| R | Reason (because of)Use por when you want to express a reason for doing something | 🎶 Y es por tí, que late mi corazón 🎶And it's because of you, that my heart beats "Es por tí" de Juanes (Read about his journey learning English!) |
| E | ExchangeUse por when you want to talk about an exchange or a substitution | 🎶 Quisiera cambiar mi corazón por otro que no te esté amando 🎶I would like to exchange my heart for another one that isn’t loving you. "Cambio mi corazón" de Grupo 5 |
| A | ActionUse por when you want to talk about where an action takes place | 🎶 Ayer la vi, bailando por ahí con sus amigas en una calle de Madrid 🎶Yesterday I saw her, dancing around with her friends on a street in Madrid. "Bailando por ahí" de Juan Magán |
| M | MeansUse por when you want to talk about means of transportation or communication | 🎶 Si me llaman por teléfono, no estoy 🎶If someone calls me on the phone, I am not here. "Si me llaman por teléfono, no estoy" de Gustavo Santaolalla |
You will also notice that you need to use por for very important expressions:
| Expression with POR | Translation |
|---|---|
| por favor | please |
| por eso | therefore / because of this |
| por supuesto | of course |
| por ejemplo | for example |
| por lo general | in general |
| por la mañana (por la tarde, por la noche) | in the morning (in the afternoon, in the evening) |
| gracias por... | thank you for... |
PERFECT
Just like por, para also has distinct uses in Spanish. An easy way to remember when you should use para is by remembering the acronym PERFECT: Each letter stands for one of the situations in which you'll use para!
| Situation | Example (from song lyrics!) | |
|---|---|---|
| P | Purpose (in order to)Use para when you want to express purpose | 🎶 Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio, para ganar mi primer millón 🎶I just want to be a hit on the radio, in order to earn my first million "Mi primer millón" de Bacilos |
| E | EffectUse para when you want to express a goal or the effect something has on something else | 🎶 Yo romperé tus fotos, yo quemaré tus cartas, para no verte más 🎶I will rip all your photos, I will burn all your letters to never see you again "Para no verte más" de La Mosca Ts Ts |
| R | RecipientUse para when you want to talk about the recipient of something or an action | 🎶 Mil rosas para mí 🎶A thousand roses for me "Rosas" de La oreja de Van Gogh |
| F | Future datesUse para when you want to talk about deadlines, or moments in time in the future | 🎶 ¿Qué dejaremos para mañana? 🎶What will we leave for tomorrow? "Para mañana" de Amanda Miguel" |
| E | EmploymentUse para when you want to talk about the organization or person you work for | 🎶 Ella trabaja para mí 🎶She works for me. "Ella trabaja para mí" de Polanski y el Ardor |
| C | ConclusionUse para when you want to express a conclusion you have made about something or someone or to share your opinions | 🎶 Para mí, tú eres un cobarde 🎶 For me, you are a coward. "Cobarde" de Yahaira Plasencia |
| T | Toward (a specific destination)Use para when you want to talk about going to a specific place | 🎶 Vamos para la playa, para curarte el alma 🎶Let’s go towards the beach in order to heal your soul "Calma (Remix)" de Pedro Capó & FarrukoBonus! Did you catch the extra use of para in this lyric? |
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