Like the difference between ser and estar, students sometimes find the difference between por and para bewildering! 'Hack' the puzzle with us in this article to unmask the uses of these pesky prepositions!

Motion Vs. Destination

Spanish students freak out over several topics, but it’s usually those that are quite different to English that cause the most fear! Along with the subjunctive, various past tenses and the difference between ser and estar; por and para have the ability to paralyse students and render them speechless!  Yet demystifying por and para is simply a matter of understanding their uses.

Quite often, por and para can both mean for in English and this becomes a common point of confusion for Spanish students. In truth, both por and para stem from the Latin word pro, which does mean for. In Spanish however, both por and para are used for much more than just for, and are not interchangeable. Por and para can also take the meaning of: through, by, on, in exchange, because of, in order to, and several more prepositions.

Knowing when to use para and when to use por may take a little while to get right. But generally they follow these guidelines:

• Por is used to convey movement through time and space
• While para is used to express destinations or end points.

Apologies if this definition may seem a little vague… but by looking at specific uses of por and para, this difference between motion and destination should become a little clearer. Here are some handy acronyms to help you study them!

PERFECTO

Purpose          In order to- Usually with the infinitive.  Nado para divertirme. (I swim to have fun.)

Estar para       to be about to: El tranvía está para salir. (The tram is about to leave.)

Recipient        Este regalo es para ti. (This gift is for you.)

Future            Time limit/ deadline: Ese es mi trabajo para mañana. (That is my work for tomorrow.)

Employment   Trabajo para un restaurante chileno. (I work for a Chilean restaurant.)

Comparison    Hablas español bien para ser australiano. (You speak Spanish well for an Australian.)

Towards         a destination. Mañana saldré para Madrid. (Tomorrow I will leave for Madrid.)

Opinion          Para mí es importante. (It is important to me.)

CAT DATER (Because we know you'll remember this one!)

Costs             or wages. Me pagan por hora. (They pay me per hour.)

Around          ¿Hay una farmacia por aquí? (Is there a pharmacy around here?)

Through        Paso por el parque todos los días. (I go through the park every day.)

Duration        Mónica va México por tres semanas. (Mónica is going to Mexico for three weeks.)

After             To go after something, usually with IR. Voy a por las llaves. (I’m after the keys.)

Thanks         ¡Gracias por la ayuda! (Thanks for the help!)

Exchange      Te daré mi galleta por tu pastelito. (I’ll give you my cookie for your cupcake.)

Reason          or motive behind something. ¿Por qué llegaste tarde?

          Por el tráfico. (Why did you arrive late? Because of the traffic.)

Por último

This list, it may horrify you to know, is still incomplete! Por supuesto, there are many idiomatic expressions in which these prepositions are used: take a look at some here. Then, if you think you’ve finally got your head around it, why not test out your new or refreshed aptitude here?

And finally, make it easy for youself, use a cheat sheet! Put these acronyms up on the fridge or in the bathroom and aim to remember one more letter each time you pass. 

Soon enough you'll have it all figured out!

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