POR & PARA Prepositions Multiple uses Not interchangeable! POR can mean “for”, “around”, “by”, “because (of)”, “along”, “through”, “in exchange for”, “instead of”, “during”, “on behalf of”, “per”, “by”+person. PARA can mean “for”, “(in order) to”, “by”+deadline.

Some preliminaries Think of some examples that you already know: Por favor. Por el momento. ¿Hay un banco por aquí? Este regalo es para ti. Trabajo para un restaurante chino.

What’s the difference? There is a difference in the way that the objects of the prepositions are perceived. Rather than give you a long theoretical explanation, I’ll give you an acronym for PARA: P.E.R.F.E.C.T.

P.E.R.F.E.C.T. Use para when talking about: Purpose: “(in order) to”: followed by an infinitive Effect that something has on something else. Same as previous use. Recipient Future dates, deadlines, or events Employment Comparison/Characteristic that is unexpected “To” a specific place

Purpose Purpose: used together with an infinitive. Usually translated as “in order to”. Estudio para sacar buenas notas.

Effect Effect that something has on something else. This is often a goal which is being sought. This is basically the same as P. Often translated as simply “to”. Voy a la universidad para ser profesor de español.

Recipient Recipient: the ultimate person or entity that receives something. Este regalo es para ti.

Future Future dates, deadlines, or events. The last time, day, date, that something is due “by” or will take place “by”. Esta tarea es para mañana y el proyecto es para el lunes.

Employment Employment: says for whom/what a someone works. Trabajo para un restaurante chileno.

Comparison/Characteristic that is unexpected Indicates an unexpected characteristic “for” the person/thing mentioned. Para un niño de cinco años, lee y escribe a un nivel muy alto.

“To” (“Toward”) “To” a specific place. Sometimes translated as “toward”. Camina para el parque.

What about POR? Essentially, por is used in all instances when P.E.R.F.E.C.T. does not apply. However, if you like to collect acronyms, here is one to use with por: A.T.T.R.A.C.T.E.D This acronym covers many, but not all, of the main uses of por. There are many idiomatic expressions that use por. In these cases, you must learn them as vocabulary; such as, por eso (“therefore”), por supuesto (“of course”), por la tarde (“in the afternoon/evening”)

A.T.T.R.A.C.T.E.D. Use POR when talking about: “Around” a place “Through” a place Trade, exchange, “for” (sometimes, “on behalf of”) Reason “After”, as in “getting something that is needed/wanted”. In this sense, can also mean “for” and is similar to previous use. Cost Thanks Expected characteristic in a comparison Duration

“Around” “Around” a place ¿Hay un banco por aquí?

“Through” “Through” a place Paso por el parque todos los días.

Trade Used to express “for” when one thing is traded “for” another. Or, when something is bought “for” an amount of money. Also, see C. Or, when someone does something on behalf of (“for”) someone else because they can’t/won’t do it themselves. Le doy mi camisa a mi amigo por su chaqueta. Compré un televisor por $500. Ayer hablé al director por los estudiantes.

Reason Reason: to explain why something happens. --¿Por qué llegaste tarde? --Por el tráfico.

“After” “After”/“for”. This is similar to R: for what reason? What motivated someone to do something later on. Translated as “for”, but we´re really saying “because” something was needed/wanted. Lucharon por la libertad. (They went “after” freedom.) Iré a la gasolinera por la leche. (I will go “after” milk.”)

Cost Cost: how much was paid “for” something. Pagué 20 euros por esta chaqueta.

Thanks Thanks: use por after “gracias.” Gracias por la ayuda.

Expected characteristic Used with a noun to express what would be an expected characteristic of someone/something. Por profesor de español, sabe mucho sobre la historia de la lengua española.

Duration Duration: used to explain “for” how long something happened. He vivido aquí por más de diez años.

Otro, por favor… --¿Adónde vas? --Voy al mercado. --¿___ qué? --Voy ____ fruta fresca. Quiero comprar fresas, manzanas, uvas, y peras _____ hacer una ensalada de frutas.

Las respuestas: --¿Adónde vas? --Voy al mercado. --¿Por qué? --Voy por fruta fresca. Quiero comprar fresas, manzanas, uvas, y peras para hacer una ensalada de frutas.

Un ejercicio más --¿Dónde trabajas? --Trabajo ____ Microtel. --¿Y qué haces allí? --Preparo informes [reports] ____ clientes internacionales. --Parece aburrido. ¿Te gusta? --____ un trabajo de oficina, no está mal. Preparo dos o tres informes ____ semana.

Las respuestas: --¿Dónde trabajas? --Trabajo para Microtel. --¿y qué haces allí? --Preparo informes [reports] para clientes internacionales. --Parece aburrido. ¿Te gusta? --Para un trabajo de oficina, no está mal. Preparo dos o tres informes por semana.

Perfect Attracted! That’s all for now. Remember the acronym P.E.R.F.E.C.T. for “para.” You can either use “por” for all other cases, or you can remember the acronym A.T.T.R.A.C.T.E.D.