How to use Por and Para correctly



Para o Por

Por is used to talk about movement, modes and means of travel and communication, exchanges, duration, and motivation, among other things. Let's take a closer look at some examples of these common uses of por.

1. Travel and Communication
Por can be used to talk about the way you travel or communicate. This can refer to mode of travel (car, train, etc.) or communication (email, phone, etc) or even the route you take.
La contacté por correo - I contacted her by mail.
Viajé por Francia y España - I travelled through France and Spain.
¿Quieres pasar por el parque? - Do you want to go through the park?

Many people get confused between por and para. If you’re talking about a destination use para: ¿Este es el camino para Madrid? If you said ¿Este es el camino por Madrid? it would be confusing. It would suggest you wanted to go around or through the city, not to it.

2. Exchanges
Por is used to talk about exchanges and trades.
Te cambio mi manzana por tu sándwich - I'll trade you my apple for your sandwich.
Te doy sesenta pesos por la mochila - I'll give you sixty pesos for that backpack.

3. Duration
Por is used to talk about the length of time an activity went on for.
Tengo que trabajar por ocho horas hoy - I need to work for eight hours today.
¿Dormiste por 12 horas? ¡Qué vida la tuya! - You slept for 12 hours? What a life you have!

4. Motivation
Por is used to talk about motivations or reasons for doing something.
Por su amor a los niños, quiere ser pediatra - Because of her love for children, she wants to be a pediatrician.
Trabajo por ti, porque te quiero cuidar - I work for you, because I want to take care of you.




Para is used to talk about destinations, recipients, deadlines, and goals.

1. Destinations
Para is used to talk about physical destinations, especially the end point of a trip.
Salgo para Chile mañana - I leave for Chile tomorrow.
¿Para dónde vas con tanta prisa? - Where are you going in such a hurry?

2. Recipients
Para is used to indicate the intended recipient of something, such as a gift.
Este regalo es para Adela - This gift is for Adela.
Estos chocolates no son para los perros - These chocolates aren't for dogs.

3. Deadlines
Para is used to talk about deadlines, including dates and times.
Necesito la presentación para el viernes - I need the presentation by Friday.
Tengo que terminar esto para las ocho - I need to finish this by eight o'clock.

4. Goals
Para is used to talk about goals and purposes. It's especially common to see para used with an infinitive to talk about why something is done.
Trabaja mucho para ganar más dinero - He works a lot in order to earn more money.
Corro para mantenerme en forma - I run to stay in shape.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

¿Puedes hablar niñita?

Image
It is interesting hearing a child learn to speak and particularly interesting for me as I am learning a language (Spanish) myself. My granddaughter Julia has two languages to learn - Spanish from her mother and English from the rest of her current world. She also makes up words of her own to fill in the gaps, so the result is a blend of Spanglish toddler talk. It’s quite creative and often quite funny. Here are some of her words: Buo - is milk (hot or cold). I don’t know where this one came from. The Spanish for milk is ‘leche’ so there’s no obvious link there. Wei-wei - that’s her word for me, grandad. I think it came from ‘abuelo’ the Spanish word for grandad and I think she picked up on the ‘welo’ sound within the word. I rather like being Wei-wei Ma-ma, not to be confused with Mammy  - is what she calls Margaret. The ‘ma’ sound, probably comes from the ‘ma’ in grandma. Often Julia shouts it very loudly indeed. Wei-wei - Nina - is her word for grandma Nidia and (just
Read more

Classes start again in September

Classes will start again on September 19 th , 10am to noon at the Copeland Centre, Bretton. Subs will be £6 per term (to pay for the hall rental) and £1 for printing and pens. Tea and coffee will be available at break, with the usual contribution to keep funds topped up. This has been 10p per tea and 15p per coffee. I believe that Anita will co-ordinate our drinks fund. Biscuits are by kind donation, with birthdays and holidays a good excuse to donate! Anyone in the current class who wishes to continue will have a place reserved if they have put their name down. New people will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis. The book we will be using is Sueños World Spanish (Book 1). You might also find Collins Easy Learning Spanish Grammar and Collins Easy Learning Spanish Verbs useful companions. These are all available secondhand on Amazon or at high street bookshops. We have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1676535839023535/ which contains dates,
Read more