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Let’s say that you are taking an exam about Para and Por tomorrow and you need something quick to remember the most important points, you don’t want to just blindly guess the answers.
The use of “por” and “para” in Spanish is a bit tricky, but there are some general rules that, in many cases, can help you understand or “guess” when to use each preposition:
- “Por” is often used to indicate the cause, reason, or motive of an action. Por is by in passive voice. It can also be used to indicate duration, exchange, movement in an area, and means of transportation. Examples:
- Vine a la fiesta por ti. (I came to the party because of you; because you told me so. Also, it can take the meaning of I came to pick you up).
- Estoy caminando por el parque. (I am walking around, in / through the park. Strolling in the park.) Camino por la playa. I’m strolling on the beach.
- Caminé por tres horas. (I walked for three hours. Duration.)
- Cambié mi libro por el tuyo. (I traded my book for yours. Exchange.)
- Viajamos por avión, autobús, tren, barco. (We travel by plane, bus, train, ship.)
- Ir por. Go for. Fetch. Go get. Voy por un café. I’m going to get a coffee. Voy por los niños a la escuela. I’m going to get the kids from school.
- Ir por la carretera, túnel, puente, camino, tierra. To travel in, on, through a road, tunnel, bridge, path, land. Por is used to indicate the route, path, surface, or passage you take to get somewhere.
- America was discovered by Columbus. América fue descubierta por Colón. (always por in passive voice).
- “Para” is often used to indicate purpose, destination (to, toward), goal, in order to, intended for, or deadline. It can also be used to express the recipient.
You are doing something now because you want a result in the future.
You trigger something now because you want something to happen afterward.
You push a button (now) because you want to turn on a light (future, afterward). Aprietas el botón para prender la luz.
You save money (now) to buy a car (future). Ahorras dinero para comprar un carro. More examples:
- Trabajo para ganar dinero. (I work in order to earn money.)
- Nos vamos para Los Ángeles mañana. (We leave for LA tomorrow. Destination. Many times you can use the preposition “a” in this case, Vamos a Los Ángeles todos los veranos.)
- Estoy caminando para el parque. Also, estoy caminando al parque. (I am walking to (toward) the park.The park is my destination.) You might hear this but it’s very informal: Estoy caminando pa’l parque.
- Estudio para ser médico. (I study in order to become a doctor.)
- El informe tiene que estar listo para el martes. (The report has to be ready by Tuesday. Deadline.)
- Este regalo es para ti. (This gift is for you. Recipient.)
- Para arriba, para abajo, para afuera, para adentro, para adelante, para atrás, Upward, downward, outward, inward, forward, backward. (Often, very informally spoken p’arriba, p’abajo, p’afuera, p’adentro, p’alante, p’atrás. If you think you heard this, don’t worry, it’s not your imagination.)
Keep in mind that these are general guidelines in case you are lost before taking an exam, and there are many exceptions and fixed idiomatic expressions that use “por” or “para” differently. One way to improve your understanding of the use of these prepositions is to practice reading and listening to Spanish in context, and to pay attention to how native speakers use them in different situations.
One last resort. There are more rules for Por and fewer for Para, so if you are forced to guess, maybe statistically Por would be a better choice.
Here is a post about an Argentinian Coca Cola commercial that uses the preposition para dozens of times. https://spanishny.com/preposicion-para-in-a-coca-cola-tv-commercial/
In other Romance languages we also find words similar to por and para, but not always so clear. Portuguese uses por and para almost the same as in Spanish. French has pour (like para) and par (like por). Italian and Catalan mostly use per for both ideas, and Romanian usually uses pentru for para and other words like pe for por. Spanish is one of the few that keeps the two separate all the time.
