Learn When To Use The Spanish Words Por and Para

Spanish Phrases With Por And Para

The Spanish words por and para present a special challenge to the student. So, in order to provide clarification, and to give some extra practice, this is a page of phrases that use these words. So, although the topics of the phrases on this page will vary greatly, they all have one thing in common: they contain the word por or para. And they'll give you good examples of when to use each of these 2 words in your Spanish conversations.

• ¿Por que vas hacer eso?

Why are you going to do that?



• La ropa es para mi niño.

The clothing is for my child (or for my son).


• ¡Por supuesto voy a ir a la fiesta!

Of course I'm going to the party!

While the Spanish words por and para are relatively short words when compared to the rest of the language, they also happen to be two of the most powerful words in the Spanish language.

Unfortunately, They also happen to be two of the most confusing words for beginners learning Spanish. There are so many definitions and nuances involved.

• La tienda tiene todo para mascotas.

The store has everything for pets.



• Certificado para escuelas secundarias.

Certified by secondary (high) schools.

When you look up the words por and para in the dictionary you see similar words in the definitions. The word por is defined with: by, on, along, through around, over towards, for around, about, in, at, by for, because of, in order to. And the word para has a dictionary definition of: towards, for, in order to, to, by, about to, to, for, considering.

That's why it's valuable to see these 2 words used in sentences. Study all the phrases on this page to learn the subtle differences between por and para. And to understand the best and most popular way to use these words in phrases.

• Corro para perder peso.

I run to lose weight.




• Lo hizo por amor.

He did it for love.



• No puede respirar por miedo.

He can't breathe for (because of) fear.



• Por fin ...

Finally - In the end



• El es conocido por su trabajo duro.

He's known for his hard work.

And many of the phrases that use por and para don't translate word for word into English. For example, who would imagine that 'es por eso' would translate into 'that's why'!

But when you can get these 2 words straight, and use them correctly, you'll take a huge step towards Spanish fluency.

• ¿Listo para ir al teatro?

Are you ready to go to the theatre? (or theater)



• Todavía no tengo fecha para terminar la escuela.

I still don't have a date to finish school.