Por vs. Para
Start first lessonExplanation
Learning the differences between porand parais 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!
Let's Talk about Por vs. 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.
1. 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.
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2. Exchanges
Por is used to talk about exchanges and trades.
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3. Duration
Por is used to talk about the length of time an activity went on for.
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4. Motivation
Por is used to talk about motivations or reasons for doing something.
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Quiz yourself with our vocab list on "por" expressions!
Para
Para is used to talk about destinations, recipients, deadlines, and goals. Check out the following examples of these common uses of para.
1. Destinations
Para is used to talk about physical destinations, especially the endpoint of a trip.
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2. Recipients
Para is used to indicate the intended recipient of something, such as a gift.
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3. Deadlines
Para is used to talk about deadlines, including dates and times.
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4. 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.
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Expressions with Por vs. Para
There are also many expressions that are used with por and para. Some very common examples are shown in the table below.
Por Phrase | English Translation | Para Phrase | English Translation |
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for example | forever | ||
please | just for a change | ||
of course | so that/in order that | ||
percent | for what reason | ||
why | where to | ||
finally | for you |