Por vs para, explained
Por and para both often translate English “for”, which is why they get mixed up. Para looks ahead to a goal, a destination, a deadline or a recipient. Por looks back to a cause, or moves through: a place, a period, a means, an exchange.
Learn the core idea first, then the fixed phrases (por fin, por eso, para siempre), which you simply remember.
The essentials
- Para for purpose (estudio para aprender), destination (salgo para Lima), deadline (para el lunes), recipient (es para ti) and opinion (para mí).
- Por for cause (gracias por todo), movement through (paseo por el parque), part of the day (por la mañana), means (por teléfono) and exchange (lo compré por diez euros).
- Por also gives the doer in the passive: escrito por Cervantes.
- The choice can change the meaning: trabajo para mi padre (he's my boss) / trabajo por mi padre (in his place, or because of him).
Every lesson on this topic
Each lesson has a full explanation, examples you can listen to, and exercises with answers.
A2 (the A2 course)
- Por and para: the first uses: Two words for English 'for': para looks ahead to a goal, por looks back to a cause or moves through.
B1 (the B1 course)
- Por and para in full: Every main use of por and para, and the pairs where the choice changes the meaning.
In the app, these lessons are taught one idea at a time with audio, practised with questions that explain the rule when you slip, and brought back for review on later days.
Other topics
- Ser vs estar, explained
- Preterite vs imperfect, explained
- The Spanish subjunctive, explained
- Gustar and verbs like it, explained
- Spanish reflexive verbs, explained
- Spanish object pronouns, explained
- Spanish commands (the imperative), explained
- Spanish future and conditional, explained
- The Spanish present tense and stem-changing verbs
- Spanish perfect tenses: he hablado, había hablado and more
- Tú vs usted (and vosotros vs ustedes), explained
- Spanish articles, gender and agreement, explained
- Spanish pronunciation and accent marks, explained