Spanish students often find difficult to understand the uses of por and para. This is mostly due to both prepositions being translated as ‘for’ in English. However, they can also be translated as: by, per, along, through, etc.
Also, the fact that they have a large variety of uses does not help. According to Real Academia Española para has 10 uses while por has over 25!
This post will help you understand and practice these confusing prepositions. Also, you will find a list with audio of the uses and examples of por and para and some common expressions with these two prepositions.
The Prepositions Por and Para
A rule of thumb is that por usually means ‘due to’ and para means’ in order to’. For example:
- Estudio español por mi trabajo. → I study Spanish due to my work.
- Estudio español para viajar. → I study Spanish in order to travel.
The first sentence would answer the following question: why are you studying Spanish? The reason of studying Spanish is that your job is in Spain and requires you to learn the language. The second sentence talks about your goal. Imagine you love to travel so in order to visit a Spanish speaking country you need to learn Spanish.
However, this is not always going to ‘save’ you, since por and para have other meanings and uses.
Por Preposition
The preposition por is the most complicated of the two, since it has many uses. But por is normally used to express cause of an action.
CAUSES AND REASONS (WHY?)
Examples
- Lo hice por amor. → I did it for love.
- Se suspendió el vuelo por una avería. → The flight was cancelled due to a failure.
- No me gusta esta ciudad por la humedad. → I don’t like this city because of the humidity.
EXACT DURATION OR IMPRECISE TIME
Examples
- Trabajé por diez horas. → I worked for ten hours.
- Trabajo por la noche. → I work at night.
- Prefiero estudiar por la mañana. → I prefer to study in the morning.
GENERAL LOCATION
Examples
- Viajé por Asia. → I traveled around Asia.
- Ve por aquí. → Go this way.
- El anuncio está por todas partes. → The advertisement is everywhere.
MOTION THROUGH A PLACE
Examples
- El pájaro salió por la ventana. → The bird went out through the window.
- Van a pasar por la ciudad. → They are going to go through the city.
- Se entra por aquí pero se sale por ahí. → You enter through here but you leave through over there.
MEANS DOING SOMETHING
Examples
- Te envío la información por email. → I sent you the information by email.
- Enviaron el paquete por avión. → They sent the package by plane.
- Hablé con mi amigo por teléfono. → I talked to my friend by phone.
PASSIVE CONSTRUCTION
Examples
- La casa fue construida por Gaudí. → The house was built by Gaudí.
- El libro fue escrito por Ana López. → The book was written by Ana López.
- El edificio ha sido derribado por los nuevos compradores. → The building has been demolished by the new buyers.
PREPOSITIONS OF LOCATION
Examples
- El coche pasó por detrás de la casa. → The car passed behind the house.
- El gato saltó por encima de la mesa. → The cat jumped over the table.
- El barco pasó por debajo del puente. → The boat passed under the bridge.
PRICE OR EXCHANGES
Examples
- Cambiaré mi camisa por otra. → I will exchange my shirt for another one.
- Pagué mucho por la casa. → I payed a lot for the house.
- Lo compró por 15 euros. → He bought it for 15 euros.
SPEED AND FREQUENCY
Examples
- Nado una vez por semana. → I swim once per/a week.
- El coche va a 150 kilómetros por hora. → The car goes at 150 kilometers per hour.
THANKS OR SORRY
Examples
- Gracias por el regalo. → Thanks for the present.
- Gracias por ayudarme. → Thanks for helping me.
- Lo siento por llegar tarde. → Sorry for arriving late.
Para Preposition
Para is often used to express the outcome of an action. However, it also has other uses.
COMPARISON
Examples
- Para ser español Juan no habla mal inglés. → For a Spaniard Juan doesn’t speak bad English.
- No era tan malo para esa época. → It was not as bad for that time.
- Para corredor, no está muy en forma. → For a runner, he is not in a very good shape.
DESTINATION
Examples
- Salgo para España mañana. → I leave for Spain tomorrow.
- ¿Para dónde vas? → Where are you going?
- Los jefes salieron para la reunión. → The bosses left for the meeting.
DEADLINES
Examples
- Quiero el informe para mañana. → I want the report for tomorrow.
- Tengo que estar en casa para las cinco. → I have to be at home by five o’clock.
- Voy a casa de mis padres para el fin de semana. → I am going to my parents’ house for the weekend.
GOALS
Examples
- Estudio para aprender. → I study to learn.
- Hace ejercicio para estar en forma. → She exercises to be in shape.
- Tengo que ahorrar para comprar una casa. → I have to save to buy a house.
OPINION
Examples
- Para mí, es muy aburrido. → For me, it’s very boring.
- Para ellos, la vida es buena. → For them, life is good.
- Cuando trabajas, para mí lo más importante es ser eficiente. → When you work, the most important thing for me is to be efficient.
PURPOSE
Examples
- La cuchara es para la sopa. → The spoon is for the soup.
- Necesita gafas para conducir. → He needs glasses to drive.
- Para hacer pan, hace falta harina. → To make a bread you need flour.
RECIPIENT
Examples
- La carta es para mi madre. → The letter is for my mother.
- ¿Tienes algo para mí? → Do you have anything for me?
- No te comas la tarta, no es para ti. → Don’t eat the cake, it is not for you.
Por and Para: Expressions
There are also many expressions with por and para you need to get familiar with. The following table shows you some of the most common ones.
POR EXPRESSIONS
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Palabra por palabra | Word by word |
| Por adelantado | In advance |
| Por aquel entonces | At that time |
| Por ahora | For now |
| Por el amor de Dios | For the love of God |
| Por ahí Por allá Por allí | Around there Over there That way |
| Por acá Por aquí | Around here This way |
| Por casualidad | By chance |
| Por ciento | Percent |
| Por cierto | By the way |
| Por completo | Completely |
| Por consiguiente | Consequently Therefore |
| Por culpa de | Because of |
| Por dentro | Inside |
| Por desgracia | Unfortunately |
| ¡Por Dios! | Oh, my God! For God’s sake! |
| Por ejemplo | For example |
| Por el momento | For the moment For the time being |
| Por esa época | Around that time |
| Por escrito | In writing |
| Por eso | Therefore That's why For that reason |
| Por favor | Please |
| Por fin | Finally |
| Por fuera | Outside On the outside From the outside |
| Por lo común | Generally Usually Often |
| Por lo demás | Apart from that Otherwise |
| Por lo general | Generally In general |
| Por lo menos | At least |
| Por lo mismo | For the same reason |
| Por lo tanto | Consequently Therefore |
| Por lo visto | Apparently |
| Por medio de | By means of Through |
| Por mi parte | As for me For my part |
| Por ningún lado Por ninguna parte | nowhere |
| Por otro lado Por otra parte | On the other hand |
| Por primera vez | For the first time |
| Por poco | Almost |
| Por si acaso | Just in case |
| Por separado | Separatly |
| Por su cuenta | On one's own |
| Por su parte | One one's behalf For one's part |
| Por suerte | Fortunately |
| Por supuesto | Of course |
| Por todas partes Por todos lados | Everywhere |
| Por último | Finally |
| Por un lado Por una parte | On the one hand |
PARA EXPRESSIONS
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Para acabar Para terminar | Finally To finish |
| ¿Para dónde? | Where to? |
| Para entonces | By then |
| Para esa época | By that time |
| Para la próxima (vez) | For next time |
| Para nada | At all For nothing |
| Para otra vez | For another occasion |
| Para que | So that In order that |
| ¿Para qué? | For what reason What...for Why |
| Para siempre | Forever |
Final Thoughts
While memorizing the information in this post will give you a very good idea of when to use por and para, sometimes the rules escape the logic.
As with any other topic in Spanish, such as preterite and imperfect, practice will get you far. Once you get familiar with the language you will be able to use one or the other preposition just because it sounds “well”.
Now, I would like to hear from you. What do you struggle with the most in regards to this topic? Or have you already reached the point where you do not have to think about the rules when using these two prepositions?
Please let me know in the comment sections.
