Por and Para in Spanish

In this article we will show you when to use “por” and “para” in Spanish. Also we’ve made a cool video with examples. Check it out.

Por and Para are two prepositions in Spanish used for different purposes. They can be the equivalente of prepositions such as: to, for, by, because, among others. Here we provide a guide to use them as well as some examples.

We use Para:

To express purpose
To show a recipient
For a future point in time
To show employment

Examples:

Estudio Español para ir a México. (purpose) [I study Spanish to go to Mexico.]
Este video es para ti. (recipient) [This video is for you.]
El reporte es para el viernes. (point in time) [The report is for Friday.]
Ella trabaja para una gran empresa. (employment) [She works for a big company.]

We use Por:

To express cause or reason
To show length of time
To show frequency
Means of doing something

Examples:

No trabaja por flojo. (cause or reason) [He doesn’t work because he’s lazy.]
Me quedé ahí por tres horas. (length of time) [I stayed there for three hours.]
Voy al entrenamiento de fútbol dos veces por semana. (frequency) [I go to soccer practice twice a week.]
Te enviaré la invitación por correo. (Means of doing something) [I’ll send you the information by email.]