A2 Level. How to use POR, PARA and PORQUE. Basic Spanish Grammar
Today we are going to learn how to use POR, PARA and PORQUE. The three of them can be used to explain the reason to do something and it is not always easy to know which one to use.
Some differences between POR and PARA
1. Basically, “POR” is used to express movement through time or space. This can be:
1.1 A physical transition such as traveling
Viajé por América. (I traveled through America.)
1.2 An exchange of objects
Pagué 50€ por este bolso. (I paid 50€ in exchange for this handbag.)
1.3 A duration of time
Tengo que trabajar por doce horas hoy. (I need to work for twelve hours today.)
1.4 A motivation/reason for doing something. Aprendí español por mi trabajo. (I learned Spanish because of my job.)
2. And “PARA” is generally used to convey destinations or endpoints. These can be:
2.1 Physical locations
Salgo para Cuba mañana. (I leave for Cuba tomorrow.)
2.2 People (recipients)
Este regalo es para mi profesora de español. (This gift is for my Spanish teacher.)
2.3 Deadlines
El jefe necesita el informe para mañana. (The boss needs the report for tomorrow.)
2.4 Goals
Ahorra mucho para comprar una casa. (He saves a lot in order to buy a house.)
3. There are also many expressions that are used with por and para. Some of the most common are:
Listening Activity No. 1: "Hay criaturita", video with the most frequent errors in Spanish
How difficult it is to correct some frequent errors associated with the grammatical structures of other languages. That is why we have included this section, this video collect the most common mistakes (from our experience as a Spanish school for foreigners) and explain in detail and fun the correct way to each of the mistakes. ¡Disfruta!
Listening activity No. 2:
Here you have a video, in which Jordi, a Spanish teacher living in London, is going to explain how to do it.
It is also important not to mistake PORQUE (because) with POR QUÉ (why):
– ¿Por qué no viniste a la fiesta? (Why you didn’t come to the party?)
– Porque estaba muy cansada (Because I was very tired).
Quiz activity No. 3: Por/ Para
Now let’s practice what you have seen in the video, with the activity below. Don’t you have any Spanish tutor yet? Remember you can contact your tutor with any question you have about POR vs PARA.
1. Este regalo es ______ ti. 2. Fui a la tienda ______ unas cerezas. 3. Dijo que lo quería ______ el sábado. 4. Ese reloj no sirve ______ nada. 5. Ya sé ______ dónde ir ______ a tu casa. 6. La reconocí ______ su voz. 7. Ese pescado no sirve ______ freír. 8. Está castigado ______ llegar tarde. 9. Dime ______ cuándo lo quieres. 10. No sé ______ cuánto lo vende. 11. Lo agarré ______ un brazo.
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The Español Latino Team.