Hola a todos! In this video, we'll cover Por and Para, two of the most confusing prepositions in Spanish. You might already know that Por and Para both mean "for". But depending on how they're used in a sentence, those two words can mean many different things. You might be crying, ¿Por qué? Cálmate, cálmate. The rules are easy when you break them down. Let's dive in! There are seven common uses for Por and six common uses for Para. Let's start with Por first. The common uses of Por in Spanish include: To speak about a cause or a reason To refer to an approximate time or regularity To talk about costs or prices To reference a general location To indicate a method of conveyance or communication To refer to a time of day and To indicate the subject of the action in the passive voice Let’s look a bit deeper at each use and go over a few examples. For our first use of Por: to talk about cause or reason. Por is most frequently used to express the motive, cause, or reason something is done or why something happens. For example: Voy a la tienda de comestibles por leche. I am going to the grocery store for milk. Another example: Nosotros no podemos salir por la lluvia. We can't go out because of the rain. Remember, if you want to learn how to speak Spanish, make sure to check out BaseLang.com, where you can get access to unlimited one-on-one Spanish classes with native-speaking teachers via Zoom. The next use of Por is when talking about approximate times or regularities. Por is also used when referring to approximate times or to events that happen regularly at given time periods. For example: Estudiamos español una vez por semana. We study Spanish once every week. or Luis vino a casa por Navidad. Luis came home for Christmas. We’re on to the next use of Por: costs or prices. Another time Por is used is when referring to exchanges, in other words, the price or cost of goods or services. For example: Te daré $30 por ese sofá. I will give you $30 for that sofa. Next, we’ll use Por to talk about a general location. Por can be used to refer to an approximate location, similar to “around” in English. Por is also used in a similar way to the word "by" but specifically when referring to going past a location, as in "pass by". For example: El baño debe estar por aquí. The bathroom must be around here. Good so far? Well, let’s keep going. Before we continue, make sure you've hit that subscribe button to keep on building your Spanish knowledge. Moving on to the next use of Por: talking about means of communication or transport. Por has another use similar to the English word "by": to indicate a method of communication or conveyance. For example: Voy a enviarte el reporte por correo electrónico. I am going to send you the report by email. El viaje por barco es más largo. The journey by ship is longer. Now, we’ll use Por when we’re referring to a part of the day, like evening, morning, things like that. Use Por to signify a time of day. For example: Yo hago yoga por la tarde. I do yoga in the afternoon. Our final common use of por is direct objects or passive subjects This is like “by” in English, but this use takes place only when sentences are in the passive voice. For example: El gato fue salvado por el bombero. The cat was saved by the fireman. How are you feeling? Have a better understanding of Por? For even more examples and to get everything we covered in written form, check out the companion article for this video linked below. Now, let’s go over when to use the Spanish word Para. Para is used primarily: To talk about a purpose To indicate a recipient To refer to a time period or deadline To express an opinion To refer to a destination and To express an opposite idea Let’s take a closer look at those uses. When a sentence references a purpose, goal, or an objective, we should use Para. There's a useful trick for this use. Para is always accompanied by an infinitive verb. For example: Camila renunció a su trabajo para buscar uno mejor. Camila quit her job to look for a better one. Next up, recipients and addressees. We can use Para when talking about a recipient or addressee. For example: ¿La manzana es para la maestra? Is the apple for the teacher? We’ll also use Para to show that something has a deadline or a time scheduled for action. For example: Debes tener la tarea lista para las ocho en punto. You must have the assignment ready by eight o'clock. Next up, we can use Para when expressing an opinion. For example: Para mí, la mejor medicina es comer saludable. For me, the best medicine is eating healthy. If we want to talk about where something is heading or moving toward, like a destination, we’ll use Para as well. For example: Este tren va para Berlín. This train goes to Berlin. Before our last use, I just want you to know that for someone who's new to learning Para, you sure catch on quickly! See what I did in the last sentence, how I emphasized the speed of your comprehension by first mentioning that you have only just started learning about these uses? That’s an example of the last common use of Para: to express an opposite idea. Para is used to position two disparate ideas in a sentence to highlight something noteworthy. For example: Para ser tan joven, ella es muy responsable. For being so young, she's very responsible. So there you have it! Those are the differences between the uses of Por and Para. And now that you know how they work, those pesky prepositions aren't so perplexing, are they? ¡No te preocupes! We've got a lot more examples of Por vs. Para, plus practice questions to test your knowledge on our blog. Check out the link in the description. And if you want to practice Por vs. Para with a live teacher, why not schedule your first BaseLang class today? At BaseLang.com, you get access to unlimited one-on-one Spanish classes with native-speaking teachers, all via Zoom. Try your first week for only $1. If you're looking for more lessons like this one, check out this video on the Spanish Preterite. Thanks so much for watching. See you in the next lesson. ¡Hasta luego!