When you learn Spanish grammar, one of the things that takes the longest to learn is the Spanish prepositions list. According to the Fundéu RAE, currently 23 prepositions are accepted in the Spanish prepositions list: “a, ante, bajo, cabe, con, contra, de, desde, durante, en, entre, hacia, hasta, mediante, para, por, según, sin, so, sobre, tras, versus y via.”
When learning a new language, one of the main challenges is that the same prepositions are used differently in each language. In addition, a preposition in your native language can be equivalent to several prepositions in Spanish.
For instance, the preposition “for” in English can be translated into Spanish as ‘para’, ‘en’, ‘por’, ‘durante’ and ‘hacia’. As you can see, Spanish prepositions can be… a nightmare!
Therefore, it is best to learn Spanish grammar step by step and with examples in context. In this article we are going to see, with practical examples, eleven uses of the preposition ‘por’ and six uses of the preposition ‘para’.
Let’s begin!
The preposition ‘por’ is one of the most popular prepositions in the list because it has many uses: eleven.
Next, we are going to see each and every one of these uses, together with examples in their context, from the most basic of Spanish grammar to the most advanced of Spanish grammar.
1. The cause or motive of something
The main use of the preposition ‘por’ in Spanish is to indicate the cause or the reason for something:
2. Parts of the day
The second use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the different parts of the day:
3. Approximate time or moment
The third use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate an approximate (not exact) time or moment in which you are going to do something or in which something is going to happen:
(They can be the days of Christmas or close to Christmas. The exact moment is not mentioned in the sentence.)
(It can be in July or August. The exact moment is not mentioned in the sentence.)
4. Frequency
The fourth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the frequency – how often you do something:
5. Space to cross
The fifth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the space you are passing through. In this case, you can also use ‘a través de’:
(El tren de Londres a Edimburgo pasa a través de York.)
(El ladrón puede entrar a robar a través de la ventana.)
6. Approximate place
The sixth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate an approximate place (not a specific place) where you do something or where something happens:
(In Central Park or near Central Park.)
(Somewhere in the city center, although I don’t know exactly which street.)
7. Movement in a space
The seventh use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate movement in a space, without saying exactly where:
(We do not know exactly which countries in Europe he visits: France, Germany, Italy…)
(We do not know exactly which Mediterranean cities they visited: Valencia, Barcelona, Niza, Genoa, Pireo…)
8. Media
The eighth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the modes of communication (phone, email, Facebook…) that we are going to use to send a message:
9. Exchange
The ninth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate exchanges: exchanges with money (purchases) or exchanges among people and of things. Money exchange (purchases):
People exchange (replacing someone):
10. Agent object of passive voice
The tenth use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the agent object, in the passive voice. In this case, ‘por’ is equivalent in English to ‘by’:
11. Distribution
The eleventh and last use of the preposition ‘por’ is to indicate the distribution of something among several people:
The preposition ‘para’ is also one of the most used ones in the Spanish prepositions list. It doesn’t have as many uses as ‘por’. However, native speakers use it all the time. Let’s see the six uses of ‘para’ from the most basic of Spanish grammar to the most advanced of Spanish grammar and some examples of using it in context.
1. Purpose
There is no doubt that the main use of the preposition ‘para’ in Spanish is to indicate purpose:
2. Recipient of an action
The second use of the preposition ‘para’ is to indicate the recipient of an action:
3. Deadline
The third use of the preposition ‘para’ is to indicate the deadline to accomplish a task:
4. Direction to a destination
The fourth use of the preposition ‘para’ is to indicate the direction of a movement towards a destination:
5. Concessive sense. Nuances of another phrase
The fifth use: concessive sense or nuances of another sentence. It refers to when we make a small clarification in a sentence. In this case, you can also use ‘aunque’:
(Hace mucho frío aunque es mayo.)
(Estás muy delgado aunque comes mucho.)
6. Personal opinion
The sixth and last use of the preposition ‘para’ is to express our personal opinion:
(En mi opinión, fumar es un mal hábito.)
(En nuestra opinión, Miguel de Cervantes es el mejor escritor español de la historia.)
Your Spanish Hub is a dedicated platform for you to improve your Spanish with online Spanish classes. When teaching Spanish prepositions, our native teachers have developed a step by step method for you to learn these prepositions and their uses, from the most basic Spanish grammar to the most advanced Spanish grammar in our Spanish Classes One on One.
If you want to learn Spanish grammar – or improve your Spanish in general – we can help. Get in touch now to book a trial lesson with one of our expert native teachers and start improving your grammar.
Me gustaría terminar con un consejo para ti. Para mejorar tu español, lo mejor es practicar dos o tres veces por semana, por la mañana, por la tarde o por la noche.
¡Hasta pronto!
