Is it "por" or is it "para"?
If you ever struggle with this question, this video is for you.
But first, let me dispel a myth.
They are usually told that they both mean "for".
This isn’t wrong, but it’s not entirely true.
there are many translations for por and para in English and it all depends on the context.
Por can mean: for, because of, through, by, over, per, instead of, to.
Para can mean: for, in order to, by, to, according to.
the key thing to understand the differences between "por" and "para"
is trying to understand what you would like to convey, rather than just trying to find an exact translation
prepositions like
for, over, to
they don't have an exact match in another language.
We know it can take a while to get a sense for these things
So we have a really simple technique to make you understand when to use "por" and when to use "para"
first things first
Both "por" and "para" link two parts in a sentence.
but the main difference is this:
with "para" there's usually a sequence of events.
one bit of the sentence happens after the other
For example:
So check this out
The first part of the sentence says that I'm leaving, and the second part says that I will arrive in Barcelona tomorrow.
One thing happens after the other.
With "por" however, everything usually happens at the same time.
The two events occurring in the same sentence are not separable.
For example:
That's why "para" usually conveys some kind of purpose, aim or destination.
That's why it's usually future facing, it signals things to come.
"Por" on the other hand, usually describes a cause for something
and that's why it's backward facing.
It usually opens a window back in time.
Now let's move onto the longer more complete method.
So, "por" is for reason, "para" is for purpose.
Use "por" to talk about the reason for doing something.
In this case it means "because of"
Use "para" to talk about the purpose for doing something.
In this case you can translate it as "in order to."
"Por" is for travelling, "para" is for the final destination.
"Por" describes travelling through or around a place.
"Para" describes travelling to a place.
It refers to the final destination of a journey.
"Por" is for duration, "para" is for deadlines.
Use "por" to talk about how long something lasts.
A trick for this is to translate in English as "during".
So the trick here is that you should be able to switch "por" for "durante" in this scenario.
For example:
Which means exactly the same as:
We use "para" to refer to a time in the future, typically when there is a deadline looming.
For example:
"por" is by someone, "para" is for someone
"Por" refers to someone who did something.
"Para" refers to the person something was done for.
For example:
Hanging in there so far? Nice job!
Now let's have a look at three common phrases that you will hear in Spanish conversations.
They all have "por" or "para". They're definitely worth remembering.
"Para mí". In my opinion.
You can say "creo que" to give your opinion in Spanish
But if you want to sound more authentic, you can introduce your own opinion by saying "para mí".
For example:
"Por aquí". Around here.
If you have a rough idea about where something is, but you don't know exactly where,
you can use "por" to describe its whereabouts.
For example:
"Por teléfono". On the phone.
As well as "por teléfono, you can also say; "por correo electrónico", "por internet", "por television".
For example:
And just remember, don't focus on memorising all the rules if you can't.
Just try to think about the meaning that you would like to convey instead.
Look for patterns.
The more you expose yourself to Spanish, you'll realise that there are certain expressions that will always use "por" and others that will always use "para".
And after a while, you won't even have to think about it. You will just know it.