Prepositions in Spanish are difficult to use. Indeed, in Spanish and in any language! You can consider yourself a native speaker if you master prepositions to perfection. Por and para are no exception.
Prepositions are invariable words that indicate a dependent relationship between an action and a complement. There are twenty-three in total, but in this post, we will teach you not only one difference between por and para but four easy tricks in total to master them like a native.
Use por to express a motive or reason and para for a purpose or intention. Here are some examples to make it clearer:
The motive of the greeting is the birthday.
The purpose of studying Spanish is to learn a second language.
Use por to express an undetermined location and para for a specific destination address. Look at it with these examples:
I don’t quite know which way the park is….
Your house is the exact address I’m going to.
Use por to express how you are going to perform the action and para to say when.
Internet is one option among many.
Friday is the exact time they must serve the crisps.
Maybe this is the easiest one, that’s why we have left it for the end and finish with a good vibe. When the sentence is in passive voice, always use por, however, use para to give your opinion.
Cervantes wrote the novel.
I think that Marcos won’t come.
It’s also about learning as you go. Prepositions in Spanish can be learned by watching movies, reading, or talking to native speakers. You can also copy what you hear and repeat it until the message sinks in.
As you get more proficient in Spanish grammar, you will realise that many Spanish prepositions have synonyms and that actions can be expressed in many ways. If you look closely, this is what we have done in the examples.
If you want to practise and see how you are doing with por and para, or other prepositions, go to iScribo and write some sentences. Practice makes perfect!
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