Por vs para
The short answer
Para points forward: a destination, a deadline, a purpose, a recipient. Por points backwards or through: a cause, a reason, an exchange, a route, a duration. Lo hice para ti means I did it for you to have; lo hice por ti means I did it because of you.
At a glance
Para or Por?
| Compare | ParaForward, goal, recipient, deadline. | PorBackward or through, cause, means, exchange. |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Towards a goal | Back to a cause, or through something |
| People | The recipient: un regalo para ti | The motive, or on behalf of: lo hago por ti |
| Time | A deadline: para el viernes | A duration or vague period: por dos horas |
| Movement | The destination: salgo para Madrid | The route: paso por Madrid |
| Purpose vs cause | para + infinitive: para aprender | por + noun: por amor, por error |
| Exchange and rates | Not used | Lo compré por veinte euros, 80 km por hora |
How to choose
Ask these, in order
- 1
Is there a goal, purpose or destination ahead?
Para. Anything you could paraphrase as “in order to” or “intended for”.
Estudio para ser ingeniera.
I’m studying to become an engineer.
- 2
Is there a cause or reason behind it?
Por. Anything you could paraphrase as “because of”.
Lo cancelaron por la lluvia.
They cancelled it because of the rain.
- 3
Is something being exchanged, or a rate being given?
Por. Prices, swaps, speeds, percentages.
Te lo cambio por el azul.
I’ll swap it with you for the blue one.
- 4
Is it a deadline or a route?
Deadline takes para; route takes por.
Lo necesito para el lunes, y paso por tu casa el domingo.
I need it by Monday, and I’ll come past your place on Sunday.
Side by side
Each one, in full
When to use para
Forward, goal, recipient, deadline.
Para looks ahead. It marks the destination of a movement, the deadline of a task, the recipient of a gift, and the purpose of an action, and purpose is where it appears most, always followed by an infinitive: para entender, para llegar a tiempo.
It also expresses opinion (para mí, in my view) and comparison against expectation: para ser principiante, habla muy bien, for a beginner, he speaks very well.
Esta carta es para tu madre.
This letter is for your mother.
Salimos para Valencia a las ocho.
We’re leaving for Valencia at eight.
Para mí, no tiene sentido.
To my mind, it makes no sense.
When to use por
Backward or through, cause, means, exchange.
Por looks back or passes through. It marks the cause of something, the means by which it happened, the route taken, the price paid, and the period something lasted.
It also covers doing something on someone’s behalf, which is where it most often collides with para: firmé por ella means I signed in her place, while firmé para ella would mean I signed so she could have it.
Gracias por tu ayuda.
Thanks for your help.
Lo mandé por correo.
I sent it by post.
Caminamos por el parque.
We walked through the park.
NBRoute, not destination, para el parque would mean heading towards it.
Mistakes to avoid
What learners actually get wrong
Gracias para todo.
Gracias por todo.
Gratitude names a cause, so it takes por. This is a fixed expression and one of the most frequent sentences a learner produces, which makes it worth getting right early.
Lo hice para ti.
Lo hice por ti.
If you did it because they asked, it is por. Para ti means so that you would have it; por ti means because of you or on your behalf. Both sentences are correct Spanish, which is why the error is invisible without checking what you meant.
Voy por la playa.
Voy a la playa.
Por la playa means along or through the beach. Destination after a verb of motion normally takes a, and para only when you are emphasising setting out towards it.
Estudio por ser médico.
Estudio para ser médico.
Purpose with an infinitive always takes para. Por with an infinitive exists but means because of having done something, lo despidieron por llegar tarde, which is a cause, not an aim.
Questions
Asked and answered
- Is there one test that covers most cases?
- Direction. Draw an arrow: if it points forward to something you want to reach, a place, a date, a person receiving, an outcome, use para. If it points back at a cause, or passes through something on the way, use por. That handles the large majority without a list.
- Which fixed phrases should I just memorise?
- The por ones, because they resist logic: por favor, por supuesto, por fin, por ejemplo, por eso, por ahora, por lo menos, por cierto, por si acaso. They are frequent enough that learning them as vocabulary is faster than deriving them.
- Does English “for” map onto either of them?
- Not reliably, and assuming it does is the root of most errors. English for covers both, for you, for two hours, for a reason, for the weekend, so it gives no signal at all. Ignore the English word and ask which direction the arrow points.