Spanish Prepositions - POR and PARA

Spanish Prepositions: POR vs Para

The words por and para are extraordinarily confusing in Spanish, because they have such similar meanings and such diverse usages. Don’t expect to master the uses of por and para after finishing this lesson. It will take much longer to get used to all the instances in which one rather than the other is used.

In general, por and para both mean "for" or "by." Just to show how tricky translating the word “for” in English can be, look at the following sentences and try to translate them into Spanish your mind:

• I voted for Garcia Vallejo in the elections.
• I bought a gift for my parents.
• I went for a run.
• I asked for a drink.

Is this what you got?

• Voté por García Vallejo en las elecciones.
• Compré un regalo para mis padres.
• Fui a correr.
• Pedí una bebida.

Notice that if you’re going to use the verb pedir "to ask for," you will NOT need to use either por or para, as “for” is already included in the meaning of the verb itself.

Starting with POR

Usage #1: Thanks

The most common usage of por will be in the expression, “Thanks for…”

• Gracias por ayudarme. "Thanks for helping me."
• Gracias por su hospitalidad. "Thanks for your hospitality."

Usage #2: Motion

You will use the preposition por if you want to talk about going through a certain place or passing by a certain place. In these contexts, por takes on the meaning of "through," "by," "along," or "around."

• Caminamos por el centro de la ciudad. "(We) walked through the center of the city."
• El autobús pasó por el parque. "The bus went by the park."
• Fuimos por Baeza en ruta a la selva "(We) went through Baeza en route to the jungle."

Usage #3: Duration

Por is also used to describe the duration of an activity or an action, in which case it can mean "during," "in," or "for."

• La fiesta fue por todo el día. "The party went all day."
• Julio se fue de vacaciones por tres samanas. "Julio went on vacation for three weeks."
• Normalmente hago los trabajos pequeños por las mañanas cuando el jefe está ocupado. "Normally (I) do the small jobs during the morning when the boss is busy."

Usage #4: Reason

If you want to express a motive, a cause, or a reason for doing something, you may use por. In this context, its meaning will become: "for," "on behalf of," "because of" or "on account of."

Usage #5: Looking for Something

If you are looking for something or someone, you will use the word por. In this context, it will mean "for" or "in search of."

Usage #6: Via

Por can also mean "via," "by," or "by way of."

• Te llamé por teléfono, pero no estabas. "(I) called you by phone, but you weren't there."
• El autobús viaja por la carretera Austral. "The bus travels by way of the Austral Highway."
• Viajamos a Perú por avión. "(We) traveled to Peru by plane."

Usage #7: Exchange

When you want to exchange something or substitute it with something else, you will need to use por to mean "for" or "in exchange for."

• Cambiamos la televisión por dinero. "(We) exchanged the television for money."
• Me ofrecieron dos días libres por trabajar hoy. "(They) offered me two days off in exchange for working today."

Usage #8: Done by

You will often use por in sentences in the passive voice to express by whom the action was performed.

• El cuadro fue pintado por Picasso. "The picture was painted by Picasso."
• El libro fue escrito por Pablo Neruda. "The book was written by Pablo Neruda."
• El curso es enseñado por la Profesora Ramírez. "The course is taught by Professor Ramirez."

Usage #9: Measurement

Finally, you will often find por used in expressions of measurement, frequency, and even multiplication! It can mean "for," "per," or "times."

• Carla hace ejercicio tres veces por semana. "Carla exercises three times a week."
• REBAJA: Tres por el precio de dos. "SALE: Three for the price of two."
• La familia Sánchez va de vacaciones dos veces por año. "The Sanchez family goes on vacation twice a year."
• La carne cuesta diez dólares por kilo. "The meat costs ten dollars per kilogram."
• Mi auto hace veinte millas por galón. "My car does 20 miles to the gallon."
• Cinco por dos son diez. "Five times two equals ten."

Using PARA

Fortunately, para has fewer uses than por.

Usage #1: Gifts

If you give something to someone, you will use para.

• Compré unas flores para mi novia. "I bought some flowers for my girlfriend."
• Esas flores son para mi novia. "Those flowers are for my girlfriend."

Things can get a bit tricky if you talk about buying a gift for someone as a favor to someone else. Just remember: if you give something to someone, you will use para. If you do something for someone, you will use por.

Usage #2: Destination

If you are talking about your destination or direction of travel, you will use para to mean "to," "towards," or "in the direction of."

Usage #3: Deadlines

When you make a deadline or appointment, you will need to use para.

Usage #4: Comparisons and Opinions

If you want to say, “For me, once is enough,” or “For a second-grader, he’s very tall,” you will use para.

• Para mí, un pedazo de pastel es suficiente. "For me, one piece of cake is enough."
• Para un niño, es fácil aprender otro idioma. "For a child, it is easy to learn another language."
• Para un músico, el ritmo es algo natural. "For a musician, rhythm is natural."

Usage #5: Employment

If you want to talk about who someone works for, you will use para.

DON’T confuse this with:

• Hice el trabajo por él. "(I) did the job for him."

Look at Usage #4 of por to see why.

Usage #6: Instructions

If you want to say what one has to do in order to accomplish something, you will use para. In this case, it will mean “to” or “in order to.”

• Para hacer un pastel, necesitas huevos, harina y matequilla. "To make a cake, (you) need eggs, flour, and butter."
• Para manejar como experto, tienes que practicar mucho. "To drive like an expert, (you) have to practice a lot."

Usage #7: Purpose

If you want to talk about what something is for, or its purpose, use para.

• El concierto es para reunir dinero para tratar victimas de SIDA en África. The concert is to raise money to treat AIDs victims in Africa."
• La maquina es para hacer café. "The machine is for making coffee."

When POR and PARA Get Confusing

If you can’t think of which one to use, you can probably say either por or para and still get your meaning across. However, be warned: the word you choose may affect how someone understands your sentence.

Confusion #1

El señor Vega-Ramos fue para Buenos Aires. "Mr. Vega went to Buenos Aires."
El señor Vega-Ramos fue por Buenos Aires. "Mr. Vega went via Buenos Aires."

Confusion #2

Estoy para salir. "(I) am in the mood to leave."
Estoy por salir. "(I) am about to leave."

Confusion #3

¿Por qué estudias español? "For what reason do (you) study Spanish?"
Porque me gusta el idioma. "Because I like the language."

¿Para qué estudias español? "For what purpose do you study Spanish?"
Para poder viajar a España. "To be able to travel to Spain."

Hopefully this cleared up some of your confusion. Feel free to take a look at lessons on other Spanish Prepositions:

• In Spanish, the prepositional pronouns are exactly the same as the subject pronouns with the exceptions of “mí” and “ti”. Check out this lesson for more!
• In this lesson, we’ll look at the Spanish prepositions a, de, en, hacia, and con.
• This lesson covers the Spanish prepositions desde, entre, sin, and hasta.

See you soon! ¡Hasta pronto!

Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish