Por vs Para in Spanish
Both por and para translate as “for” in English — but they aren’t interchangeable. Use these two acronyms to always pick the right one.
POR — remember DREEMS
| D | duration – how long something takes or the general time of an action | Vamos por la mañana. We’re going in the morning. Hicimos ejercicios por 2 horas. We worked out for 2 hours. |
| R | reason – the goal of an action or why something happens | ¿Lo hiciste por mí? Did you do it for me? Cancelaron el partido por la lluvia. They canceled the game because of the rain. |
| E | emotion – emotion felt toward someone or something | Tengo mucho amor por mi familia. I have a lot of love for my family. Ellos sienten enojo por el examen. They’re upset about the test. |
| E | exchange – something given or done for something else | Quieren $50 por el vestido. They want $50 for the dress. Le di un regalo por su trabajo. I gave him a gift for his work. |
| M | mode – the means by which an action is completed (by) | No me gusta viajar por avión. I don’t like to travel by plane. Paola habla mucho por teléfono. Paola talks on the phone a lot. |
| S | substitution – in place of something else (instead of) | Félix trabajó por mí hoy. Felix worked for me today (in my place). ¿Vas al mercado por mí? Will you go to the store for me? |
Useful expressions with por
por ahorafor now
por aquíaround here
por Diosfor God’s sake
por esothat’s why
por ejemplofor example
por favorplease
por finfinally
por lo generalgenerally
por supuestoof course
por últimolastly
PARA — remember PERFECT
| P | purpose – with an infinitive, the purpose of an action or object (in order to) | Trabajo mucho para ganar dinero. I work a lot to earn money. Esta llave es para la casa. This key is for the house. |
| E | effect – the intended result of an action (so) | Estudio para ser médico. I’m studying to be a doctor. Vamos temprano para no perder el avión. We’re going early so we don’t miss the plane. |
| R | recipient – the recipient of an object or action | Compré el regalo para mi novia. I bought the gift for my girlfriend. Dieron la fiesta para Alicia. They threw the party for Alicia. |
| F | future – a deadline or when something will happen | Hay que hacer la tarea para lunes. The homework is due by Monday. ¿Vas para el fin de semana? Are you going for the weekend? |
| E | employment – who you work for | Mi amigo trabaja para la universidad. My friend works for the university. |
| C | comparison – compared with others | Para diciembre, hace mucho calor. It’s really hot for December. Para mí, no es muy importante. It’s not that important to me. |
| T | toward – a destination or movement toward something | Fuimos de caminata para las montañas. We hiked toward the mountains. Sale para Colombia hoy. He leaves for Colombia today. |
Useful expressions with para
estar parato be about to
para entoncesby that time
para otra vezfor another time
para queso that
para siempreforever
para variarfor a change
Get the free Por vs Para lesson (PDF)
If you’ve ever had trouble saying “for” in Spanish, you’re not alone! Download our free Por vs Para lesson and lock in when to use each one.
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