{"id":2113,"date":"2026-02-18T12:08:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/?p=2113"},"modified":"2026-02-18T12:08:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:08:38","slug":"por-or-para-how-to-choose-the-right-preposition-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/por-or-para-how-to-choose-the-right-preposition-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Por or Para? How to choose the right preposition in Spanish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve started learning Spanish, you\u2019ve probably noticed that por <\/em><\/strong>and para <\/em><\/strong>show up everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, they seem almost interchangeable\u2014but they\u2019re not. Each one carries different meanings and helps you talk about essential ideas like cause, purpose, time, destination, movement, and even opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the tricky part? A few expressions are irregular and must just be learned as they are. But beyond these exceptions, Spanish has reliable structures that make it easier to pick the right form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, you\u2019ll get a clear explanation, real-life examples, and an easy summary to help you decide confidently between por <\/em><\/strong>and para<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. POR <\/em>: main uses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Por <\/em><\/strong>is generally used to express the cause of an action, an approximate time frame, a non-specific location or movement through a space, or the means by which an action is carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) Cause<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use por <\/em><\/strong>to indicate the cause or reason behind an action \u2014 in other words, why something happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Lo han detenido por <\/strong>robar en una casa.<\/mark>
– Lo hago por <\/strong>ti.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) Approximate time \/ Parts of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Por <\/em><\/strong>is also used to refer to an approximate time period or a general part of the day (morning, afternoon, evening).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Viene por <\/strong>Semana Santa.<\/mark>
– Llegamos el s\u00e1bado por <\/strong>la tarde.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

c)<\/strong> Non-specific location \/ movement through an area<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use por <\/em><\/strong>when referring to a general location or when describing movement through, within, or around a place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Este autob\u00fas no pasa por <\/strong>Plaza Castilla.<\/mark>
– Me gusta pasear por <\/strong>el parque.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

d)<\/strong> Means<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Por <\/em><\/strong>can indicate the means, instrument, or channel through which an action is performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– A los famosos les gusta salir por <\/strong>la tele.<\/mark>
– Hemos entrado por <\/strong>la ventana.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. PARA<\/em>: main uses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, para <\/em><\/strong>expresses a clear goal, destination, recipient, or deadline. It is a preposition of purpose and direction, marking the endpoint \u2014 literal or figurative \u2014 of an action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use para <\/em><\/strong>to talk about the purpose or aim of an action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Para <\/strong>ser un buen m\u00e9dico, se debe estudiar mucho.<\/mark>
– Vengo para <\/strong>comer contigo.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

b)<\/strong> Recipient<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Para <\/em><\/strong>is used to identify the recipient of an object or action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Este es un regalo para <\/strong>mi madre.<\/mark>
– La carta es para <\/strong>ti.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

c)<\/strong> Destination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When movement has a defined direction or a final destination, use para<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Este autob\u00fas va para <\/strong>Plaza Castilla.<\/mark>
– \u00bfEste tren va para <\/strong>Tarragona?<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

d)<\/strong> Deadline \/ Time limit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use para <\/em><\/strong>to specify a deadline or time by which something must be completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Quiero el informe para <\/strong>el mi\u00e9rcoles.<\/mark>
– Para <\/strong>las cuatro debo tener los resultados.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

e)<\/strong> Opinion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Para <\/em><\/strong>can also introduce someone\u2019s personal point of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Para <\/strong>m\u00ed, esto es absurdo.<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Common expressions with POR <\/em>and PARA<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some expressions don\u2019t follow logical rules\u2014they simply need to be memorized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With POR<\/em><\/strong><\/td>With PARA<\/em><\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
por favor
por casualidad
por supuesto
por culpa de\u2026
por ejemplo<\/em><\/td>		para empezar
para terminar
para nada
para siempre<\/em>
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Quick Guide: Por <\/em>or para<\/em>? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

POR\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 cause: por <\/strong>ti, por <\/strong>eso<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 approximate time \/ parts of the day: por <\/strong>Navidad, por <\/strong>la noche<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 non-specific location \/ movement through an area: por <\/strong>el parque<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 means: por<\/mark><\/strong> la tele<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PARA\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 purpose: para <\/strong>estudiar<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 recipient: para <\/strong>mi madre<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 destination: para <\/strong>Madrid<\/em><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 deadline: para <\/strong>ma\u00f1ana<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2714 opinion: para <\/strong>m\u00ed<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Want to learn more?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Check out the full “Las preposiciones por y para<\/a>\u201d grammar sheet in the Sillabi B1 grammar resources, with more examples, special cases, and useful expressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Ready to level up your Spanish?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to master grammar and start using por <\/em><\/strong>and para <\/em><\/strong>naturally, take a look at our course \u00a1Ojal\u00e1!<\/a> : a simple, motivating, step-by-step programme designed to bring Spanish into your everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re not sure where to begin, try our placement test<\/a>\u2014your personalised starting point is just a few clicks away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve started learning Spanish, you\u2019ve probably noticed that por and para show up everywhere. At first, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[196,145],"tags":[260,405,404],"class_list":["post-2113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b1-spanish","category-es-spanish","tag-grammar","tag-para-3","tag-por-3"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2114,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113\/revisions\/2114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}