POR and PARA -Part One

Por" and "para" have many meanings, and to most non-Spanish Speaking people this is very confusing because they both mean "for". There are many examples that come to mind, but a simple statement is:

Gracias por el mapa.
Thanks for the map.

Este regalo es para Maria.
This gift is for Maria.



To learn to use "por" and "para" correctly, you need to do two things:

1. Learn the rules for how por and para are used.
2. Memorize some examples sentences to remind you how it is used.
Let's begin with "por" because it is the most difficult one of the two:


POR is:

1. It is used to express gratitude or to apologize.
example: Gracias por su ayuda. (Thanks for your help.)

2. It is also in math for multiplication and division
example: Dos por dos son cuatro. (Two times two equals four.)

3. It is used to mean "through," "along," "by" or "in the area of"
example: Caminamos por el parque. (Nosotros caminamos por el parque)
(We walk through the park.)

There are many other ways to use por but I'll get to that later.

On the other hand, PARA is used:

1. to indicate destination
example: El hombre sale para Madrid. (The man leaving to Madrid.)

2. to show the use or purpose of a thing
example: El vaso es para agua. (The glass is for water.)

3. to indicate a recipient
example: Este regalo es para ti. (This gift is for you.)

It is quite important to learn to use these two prepositions correctly, because if you inadvertently substitute one for the other, you might end up saying something altogether different from what you had intended. One example could be:

Voy a comprar un pastel para Alma. (I am going to buy a cake for Alma.)

Voy a comprar un pastel por Alma. (I am going to buy a cake for Alma because she wont be able to do it.)

Let me remind you that this is just a few rules and examples to help you understand the uses of POR and PARA. In future post, I'll talk about ways to use POR and PARA including asking questions.