Por vs Para – For vs For / To

Use por to express reasons, causes, durations, exchanges, movements through space, and means of doing something. Think of it as "because of," "in exchange for," or "along/through" when describing passages.

Use para to indicate purposes, destinations, deadlines, recipients, and intended uses. It often aligns with "in order to," "for" (as in intended for), and "by" (a deadline).

Use por to state the cause or reason behind an action when something happens because of someone or something. This highlights the motivating factor or agent.

Use para to express purpose, goals, or intended recipients, as well as physical or figurative destinations. It signals what something is for or who will benefit.

Use por to talk about time periods, exchanges, and substitutions. It commonly appears when mentioning how long something lasts or when something is given in return.

Use para to mark deadlines and to identify recipients of actions or things. It sets a time limit or points to who will get or use something.

Use por to describe movement through space, routes taken, and methods or instruments used to do something. It emphasizes the way or channel.

Use para in comparisons to show an unexpected feature relative to a group, and to express purpose from someone's perspective. It can introduce an implicit standard.

Short signal words help decide between por and para: use por with expressions like por eso, por la mañana, and por + price, and use para with deadlines, recipients, and para + infinitive.

Por marks causes, durations, exchanges, movements, and means, while para marks purposes, destinations, recipients, deadlines, and comparisons. Switching one preposition for the other changes the sentence's meaning, so focus on whether you want to highlight reason/route/price (por) versus goal/intended use/recipient (para).