Por Vs. Para Made Easy (Part II)

Welcome to the second part of our por vs. para guide. Last week, we went over the common uses of por and para (cause and purpose, respectively). So, this time around we’ll focus on the different ways to use por and para. Let’s begin!

Click here to read this grammar guide in Spanishs.

Uses of por

• FREQUENCY
  • Voy a clase cinco veces por semana
    • (I go to class five times per week)
• APPROXIMATE PLACE
  • don Quijote está por el centro de la ciudad
    • (don Quijote is around the downtown area)
• WAY OR MEANS OF DOING SOMETHING
  • Me ha enviado la tarea por correo electrónico
    • (The homework was sent to me via email)
• PRICE
  • Te vendo este manual de español por 35 €
    • (I’ll sell you this Spanish guide for €35)
• DISTRIBUTION
  • Hay un máximo de 8 estudiantes por clase
    • (There’s a maximum of 8 students per class)
• = IN EXCHANGE FOR
  • Te doy este bolígrafo por tu goma de borrar
    • (I’ll trade you this pen for your eraser)

Uses of para

• = TO A PLACE
  • Si vas para Barcelona este fin de semana avísame y vamos juntos
    • (If you’re going to Barcelona this weekend, let me know and we can go together)
• SPECIFIC DEADLINE
  • La tarea debe estar lista para este viernes como fecha límite
    • (The homework must be ready by this Friday at the latest)
• RECIPIENT
  • Esta carpeta es para ti, se la damos a todos los estudiantes de don Quijote
    • (This folder is for you, we give one to all don Quijote students)
• OPINION
  • Para mí el subjuntivo no es tan difícil como dicen
    • In my opinion, the subjective isn’t as difficult as it’s made out to be
• = “ALTHOUGH”
  • Para llevar estudiando español solo un año, hablas muy bien
    • For only have studied Spanish for a year, you speak very well

As you can see, there are lots of different ways to use por and para! The best way to really get the hang of how to use por and para in different contexts is by spending time with native Spanish speakers. We have Spanish schools in Spain and 12 different Latin American countries. So you can choose your dream destination and come learn Spanish with us to get all the por and para practice you need!

Thanks to Lucas from our Spanish school in Seville for writing this week’s post.