Por vs Para: When to Use Each (With Examples)

How this guide was made. The rules follow the Real Academia Española and Instituto Cervantes reference materials listed at the end. The example sentences are standard in Latin America and Spain unless a note says otherwise. It explains the grammar and does not claim classroom testing.

Use para for purpose, recipients, destinations, deadlines and comparisons, and use por for reasons, exchanges, means, routes, duration and doing something on someone’s behalf. A handy shortcut: para points forward to a goal or an endpoint, while por points back to a cause or through a route. Both are often translated as “for” in English, which is why they are confusing.

The short version

When to use para

1. Purpose or goal. Estudio para aprender. Uso el teléfono para llamar a mi familia. When para is followed by a verb, that verb is an infinitive.
2. The recipient. Compré flores para mi madre. Este mensaje es para ti.
3. A destination or direction. Salgo para Madrid mañana. Este tren va para Bilbao.
4. A deadline or a point in time. La tarea es para mañana. Estará listo para las cinco.
5. A comparison or an opinion. Para un niño, canta muy bien. Para mí, es demasiado caro.
6. An employer. Trabajo para el gobierno. Ella escribe para un periódico.
7. An intended use. una taza para café, un cuchillo para pan, un libro para niños.

When to use por

1. A cause or reason. Llegué tarde por el tráfico. Lo hizo por miedo.
2. An exchange or a price. Pagué veinte euros por el libro. Cambié mi bicicleta por una guitarra.
3. A means or a channel. Hablamos por teléfono. Te lo envío por correo electrónico.
4. Movement through, along or around a place. Paseamos por el parque. Viajamos por Italia. Pasamos por tu casa.
5. Duration. Vivimos allí por dos años. Por is correct in both Spain and Latin America but more frequent in Latin America, and durante or no preposition at all (Vivimos allí dos años) also works.
6. Parts of the day. por la mañana, por la tarde, por la noche. In much of Latin America, en la mañana and en la tarde are also common, but they are unusual in Spain.
7. The agent in a passive sentence. La novela fue escrita por García Márquez.
8. On behalf of or in place of someone, or for someone’s sake. Voy a la reunión por ti. Lo hago por mis hijos.
9. Rates and multiplication. Cien kilómetros por hora. Dos por tres son seis. El diez por ciento.
10. Going to get something. Voy por pan (Spain and Latin America) and voy a por pan (Spain only).
11. Thanks and apologies. Gracias por tu ayuda. Perdón por llegar tarde.

Sentences where the choice changes the meaning

A very useful pair is por qué and para qué:

• ¿Por qué estudias español? asks for the reason or cause. Porque me gusta.
• ¿Para qué estudias español? asks for the purpose. Para trabajar en España.

Fixed expressions to learn as chunks

Common mistakes for English speakers

1. “Thanks for the gift.” Say Gracias por el regalo, not para.
2. “I paid ten dollars for the book.” Say Pagué diez dólares por el libro.
3. “I studied for two hours.” Say Estudié dos horas or Estudié durante dos horas. Por dos horas is also correct, and more frequent in Latin America.
4. “I am looking for my keys.” Say Busco mis llaves, with no preposition. The same applies to esperar (wait for) and pedir (ask for), because the “for” is already inside the verb. Before a person, use personal a: Busco a mi hermano.
5. “We are going to the store.” A is the default with ir: Vamos a la tienda. Para also works when you stress the direction (Voy para casa), as it does with salir (Salimos para Sevilla).
6. “He was punished for lying.” Say Lo castigaron por mentir. Por plus an infinitive usually gives the reason, while para plus an infinitive usually gives the purpose.
7. “By bus.” Say en autobús, not por or para.

A quick decision path

1. Ask what the “for” answers. If it answers “in order to what?”, “for whom?” or “by when?”, use para.
2. If it answers “why?”, “in exchange for what?”, “by what means?”, “through where?” or “for how long?”, use por.
3. If you can replace it with “on behalf of” or “because of”, use por.
4. If you can replace it with “in order to” or “intended for”, use para.

Quick quiz

Choose por or para for each blank:

1. Este regalo es ___ mi madre.
2. Gracias ___ tu ayuda.
3. Uso esta aplicación ___ practicar español.
4. Necesito el informe ___ el viernes.
5. Pagué cincuenta euros ___ la chaqueta.
6. El tren sale ___ Sevilla a las ocho.
7. Hablamos ___ teléfono todos los días.
8. ¿___ qué llegaste tarde?
9. Trabajo ___ una empresa en Bogotá.
10. Paseamos ___ el parque después de cenar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between por and para?

Para looks forward to a purpose, recipient, destination or deadline. Por looks at causes, exchanges, means, routes, duration and acting on someone’s behalf. Both are often translated as “for” in English.

What is the difference between por qué and para qué?

Por qué asks why something happened, meaning its reason or cause. Para qué asks what it is for, meaning its purpose. ¿Por qué estudias? asks for the reason, and ¿Para qué estudias? asks for the goal.

Do you use por or para for deadlines and durations?

Use para for a deadline, as in para el viernes. Use por for duration, as in por dos años, which is more frequent in Latin America than in Spain, where durante or no preposition (dos años) is also common. Parts of the day take por, as in por la tarde.

Do you use por or para after gracias?

Use por, never para, because the thing you are thanking someone for is the reason for the thanks: Gracias por tu ayuda and Gracias por venir. The same applies to apologies, as in Perdón por llegar tarde.

Do you use por or para with prices?

Use por for the amount paid or exchanged: Pagué veinte euros por el libro. Use para for the intended recipient or use, as in Compré un libro para mi hermano.

Can por and para both be correct in the same sentence?

Yes, but the meaning changes. Hoy trabajo por mi padre, que está enfermo means you work in his place, and Trabajo para mi padre means he is your employer. Lo hice por ti means for your sake, and Lo hice para ti means for your benefit.

Which fixed expressions use por and para?

Por appears in por favor, por ejemplo, por eso, por supuesto, por fin, por lo menos, por si acaso and por cierto. Para appears in para siempre, para nada, para colmo and no es para tanto. Learn them as chunks.

Is it para ti or por ti when you mean for you?

Say para ti when something is intended for you, such as a gift, and por ti when something is done for your sake or on your behalf. Este regalo es para ti and Lo hago por ti show the two.

Sources and how this was researched

This guide explains grammar from published reference works and does not claim classroom testing. Main sources:

• Real Academia Española: the Diccionario de la lengua española entries for por and para, the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry for a, and the chapter on por and para in El buen uso del español
• Real Academia Española: the Nueva gramática de la lengua española on the particular uses of the prepositions en, entre, hacia, hasta, para, por, sin, sobre and tras
• Instituto Cervantes: the Plan curricular del Instituto Cervantes, which spreads the uses of por and para across its grammar inventories for levels A1 to A2 and B1 to B2 instead of treating them in one chapter

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