What is the different between por and para?

Question

What is the different between por and para?

Answer 1

What's the difference between in/on? Or between of/from? You could write 3 paragraphs and there would still be things to say about it. The "short version" is that there is some overlap, but "por" is used to identify the author of an action, the cause for which something happened, sometimes to identify points in a route, etc..

"Para" is used for identifying the recipient of an action, the reason or goal for an action, to identify the due date of something, etc..

The long answer is that you'll have to read a lot about them in order to get a clear picture of them.

Answer 2

There's a nice reference article here on SD:

Para and Por - What's the difference in these 2 prepositions that mean "for"?

Answer 3

Examples:

• Corri por el campo = I ran through the fields.
• Estudié por tres horas = I studied for three hours
• Me multaron por exceso de velocidad = They fined me for speeding.
• Se ha ido. Tengo que estar aquí por él = He left. I have to be here for him.
• Camino para tu casa =I walk toward your place
• Escriba el informe para el viernes = Write the report by Friday.
• Este regalo es para ti = This present is for you.
• Lo llamé para invitarlo al cine = I called him to invite him to the movies.
• Por las tardes = In the afternoons
• Por avión.= By plane
• Dirigida por Almodóvar = Directed by Almodóva
• Trabajaron juntos por muchos años =They worked together for many years.
• Votaron por mí = They voted on my behalf.
• Este ejercicio es para todos = This exercise is for everyone.
• Me llamaron para asistir a la reunión = They called me to attend the meeting.

Hope these examples can help you a little.

Nice selection of examples. - samdie, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 4

Unfortunately this is a very difficult question to answer. You really need to buy and read this two volume set and manual to understand it. After you have digested the 5000 pages, let us know if you have any more questions.

So funny because there's truth to it. I was beginning to think I understood por/para pretty well. :-) - pesta, Oct 29, 2010

It's a bargain at $116 U S D - pesta, Oct 29, 2010

Reading it is on my list of things to do. . .maybe next year. - lorenzo9, Oct 29, 2010

By the way, the two volumes do cover a bit more thatn just the por/para question. - samdie, Oct 29, 2010

Answer 5

I have a friend from the Philippines who is trying to learn Spanish (even though it was his first language when very young). He tells me that he has a lot of trouble with por/para because the local Philippines dialect uses different choices (por vs para) in very many cases, compared to "standard" Spanish.