Spanish Lesson: The differences between Por and Para in Spanish

This lesson is part of the Intermediate Spanish Course (143 lessons)

Expand and master your Spanish skills with this in-depth view of more advanced grammar topics, vocabulary and expressions that have been condensed and simplified so that you can understand and remember them in no time at all. This course is jam-packed with easy-to-follow information that will enable you to not just understand and be understood, but really show off!

Click here for a list of all 143 lessons in this course

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FULL VIDEO OR MP3 COURSE

In this Spanish video lesson we will learn the important differences between the Spanish words Por and Para. These Spanish prepositions (A “preposition” is a word which links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence and usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence) are notoriously tricky for English speakers as they are used a lot in everyday Spanish conversation and are usually both translated as “For” in English. They do not only, however, translate as “For”. Por, for example, also roughly translates as “Because of”, “Around” and “By”. There are subtle differences between the two and they are differences that do not easily come across in translation. Por often connects with a cause or motive, while Para often connects with a goal or purpose. The issue of Por vs Para is one that needs to be tackled quickly as, if left, it can cause you all sorts of problems. Here in this Spanish video lesson we will look at each of the main uses of Por and Para with example Spanish sentences to illustrate and clarify what I mean.

Lesson notes:

POR:

Cause and motive:
No hace más deporte por pereza: He doesn´t play sport because of laziness
Approximate period of time:
Vamos a ir de vacaciones por noviembre: We are going on holiday sometime around November
Approximate location:
Mi casa está por allí: My house is around there
Swap or substitution:
He cambiado mis dólares por euros: I have changed my dollars for euros
Medium:
Puedes enviar el certificado por fax: You can send the certificate by fax
Price:
He comprado estos zapatos por 50 euros: I bought these shoes for 50 Euros

PARA:

Purpose:
Estas gafas son para ver de cerca: These glasses are to see close up
Destination:
He comprado esta camiseta para Carmen: I bought this T-shirt for Carmen
Direction:
Voy para Barcelona: I am heading for Barcelona
Deadline:
Tengo que terminar este trabajo para el martes: I have to finish this work by Tuesday
Opinion:
Para mí, este libro es muy interesante: For me, this book is very interesting

Activity:

Fill in the gaps with POR or PARA…

Voy a casarme …… amor.
Roberto tiene que hacer los deberes ………mañana.
Luis estudia …….. ser médico.
He trabajado ………..Luisa porque ella está enferma.

Here are some possible answers to the last activity:

Con cariño
Un abrazo
Atentamente/Un atento saludo/Reciban un cordial saludo/Atentamente le saluda/Se despide atentamente
Saludos a …….