Spanish: "Por" vs. "Para"

The Spanish terms por and para can both mean "for," thus it might be confusing to decide which to use. Fortunately, they are employed in many sentences and situations! In order to understand exactly which to use the next time you have to select between por and para, let's look at some tips and tricks!

When to use por in Spanish

The preposition por is employed in particular contexts. DREAM is an acronym that can help you quickly recall when to utilize por: Every letter in DREAM represents a scenario where you'll apply the term!

SITUATION	EXAMPLE
Duration Use por when you want to talk about a length of time (the duration of something).	🎶Te amaría *por* mil años más.🎶 I'd love you for a thousand years more. "Amarte por mil años más" de Yadi Fernández
Reason (because of) Use por when you want to express a reason for doing something.	🎶Y es *por* tí, que late mi corazón.🎶 And it's because of you, that my heart beats. "Es por tí" de Juanes
Exchange Use por when you want to talk about an exchange or a substitution.	🎶Quisiera cambiar mi corazón *por* otro que no te esté amando.🎶 I would like to exchange my heart for another one that isn’t loving you. "Cambio mi corazón" de Grupo 5
Action Use por when you want to talk about where an action takes place.	🎶Ayer la vi, bailando *por* ahí con sus amigas en una calle de Madrid.🎶 Yesterday I saw her, dancing around with her friends on a street in Madrid. "Bailando por ahí" de Juan Magán
Means Use por when you want to talk about means of transportation or communication.	🎶Si me llaman *por* teléfono, no estoy.🎶 If someone calls me on the phone, I am not here. "Si me llaman por teléfono, no estoy" de Gustavo Santaolalla

You will also notice that you need to use por for very important expressions:

EXPRESSION WITH POR	TRANSLATION
por favor	please
por eso	therefore / because of this
por supuesto	of course
por ejemplo	for example
por lo general	in general
por la mañana (por la tarde, por la noche)	in the morning (in the afternoon, in the evening)
gracias por . . .	thank you for . . .

When to use para in Spanish

Similar to por, there are specific applications for para in Spanish. The term PERFECT might help you quickly recall when to utilize paraphrasing. Every letter represents a scenario in which you'll use para!

SITUATION	EXAMPLE
Purpose (in order to) Use para when you want to express purpose.	🎶Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio, *para* ganar mi primer millón.🎶 I just want to be a hit on the radio, in order to earn my first million. "Mi primer millón" de Bacilos
Effect Use para when you want to express a goal or the effect something has on something else.	🎶Yo romperé tus fotos, yo quemaré tus cartas, *para* no verte más.🎶 I will rip all your photos, I will burn all your letters to never see you again. "Para no verte más" de La Mosca Ts Ts
Recipient Use para when you want to talk about the recipient of something or an action.	🎶Mil rosas *para* mí.🎶 A thousand roses for me. "Rosas" de La oreja de Van Gogh
Future dates Use para when you want to talk about deadlines, or moments in time in the future.	🎶¿Qué dejaremos *para* mañana?🎶 What will we leave for tomorrow? "Para mañana" de Amanda Miguel"
Employment Use para when you want to talk about the organization or person you work for.	🎶Ella trabaja *para* mí🎶 She works for me. "Ella trabaja para mí" de Polanski y el Ardor
Conclusion Use para when you want to express a conclusion you have made about something or someone or to share your opinions.	🎶*Para* mí, tú eres un cobarde.🎶 For me, you are a coward. "Cobarde" de Yahaira Plasencia
Toward (a specific destination) Use para when you want to talk about going to a specific place.	🎶Vamos *para* la playa, para curarte el alma.🎶 Let’s go towards the beach in order to heal your soul. "Calma (Remix)" de Pedro Capó & Farruko Bonus! The second para in this line is used to express purpose.

Spanish: "Por" vs. "Para"

When to use por in Spanish

SITUATION	EXAMPLE
Duration Use por when you want to talk about a length of time (the duration of something).	🎶Te amaría *por* mil años más.🎶 I'd love you for a thousand years more. "Amarte por mil años más" de Yadi Fernández
Reason (because of) Use por when you want to express a reason for doing something.	🎶Y es *por* tí, que late mi corazón.🎶 And it's because of you, that my heart beats. "Es por tí" de Juanes
Exchange Use por when you want to talk about an exchange or a substitution.	🎶Quisiera cambiar mi corazón *por* otro que no te esté amando.🎶 I would like to exchange my heart for another one that isn’t loving you. "Cambio mi corazón" de Grupo 5
Action Use por when you want to talk about where an action takes place.	🎶Ayer la vi, bailando *por* ahí con sus amigas en una calle de Madrid.🎶 Yesterday I saw her, dancing around with her friends on a street in Madrid. "Bailando por ahí" de Juan Magán
Means Use por when you want to talk about means of transportation or communication.	🎶Si me llaman *por* teléfono, no estoy.🎶 If someone calls me on the phone, I am not here. "Si me llaman por teléfono, no estoy" de Gustavo Santaolalla

You will also notice that you need to use por for very important expressions:

EXPRESSION WITH POR	TRANSLATION
por favor	please
por eso	therefore / because of this
por supuesto	of course
por ejemplo	for example
por lo general	in general
por la mañana (por la tarde, por la noche)	in the morning (in the afternoon, in the evening)
gracias por . . .	thank you for . . .

When to use para in Spanish

SITUATION	EXAMPLE
Purpose (in order to) Use para when you want to express purpose.	🎶Yo solo quiero pegar en la radio, *para* ganar mi primer millón.🎶 I just want to be a hit on the radio, in order to earn my first million. "Mi primer millón" de Bacilos
Effect Use para when you want to express a goal or the effect something has on something else.	🎶Yo romperé tus fotos, yo quemaré tus cartas, *para* no verte más.🎶 I will rip all your photos, I will burn all your letters to never see you again. "Para no verte más" de La Mosca Ts Ts
Recipient Use para when you want to talk about the recipient of something or an action.	🎶Mil rosas *para* mí.🎶 A thousand roses for me. "Rosas" de La oreja de Van Gogh
Future dates Use para when you want to talk about deadlines, or moments in time in the future.	🎶¿Qué dejaremos *para* mañana?🎶 What will we leave for tomorrow? "Para mañana" de Amanda Miguel"
Employment Use para when you want to talk about the organization or person you work for.	🎶Ella trabaja *para* mí🎶 She works for me. "Ella trabaja para mí" de Polanski y el Ardor
Conclusion Use para when you want to express a conclusion you have made about something or someone or to share your opinions.	🎶*Para* mí, tú eres un cobarde.🎶 For me, you are a coward. "Cobarde" de Yahaira Plasencia
Toward (a specific destination) Use para when you want to talk about going to a specific place.	🎶Vamos *para* la playa, para curarte el alma.🎶 Let’s go towards the beach in order to heal your soul. "Calma (Remix)" de Pedro Capó & Farruko Bonus! The second para in this line is used to express purpose.