A2 (Elementary)Lesson 12: Prepositions & Time in Depth
Some uses of English "for" correspond to para, others to por: para often points at a destination, purpose or recipient, while por often marks cause, route or price. Use that contrast as a guide, then learn the other uses and the contractions pelo and pela in ordinary noun phrases.
para points forward at a target — where you're going, what you want, who gets it: Vou para o Rio (I'm going to Rio), Isso é para você (This is for you).
por points at a cause, a path or a price — why, through where, how much: Obrigado por tudo (Thanks for everything), Paguei cinquenta reais por isso (I paid fifty reais for it).
English "for" is the trap, because it covers both. Ask target, or reason? before you speak.
An actual past duration can use por or durante: Fiquei lá por dois dias (I stayed there for two days). A bare duration can also work outside a blank that asks for a preposition.
In ordinary noun phrases, por + article contracts: por o → pelo, por a → pela (also pelos, pelas). A pronoun or an infinitive-clause subject is a different case.
Memorize the fixed pairs whole: por favor (please), por isso (that's why), para sempre (forever).
Spanish speakers: the line sits in a different place — don't transfer it.
para + target (destination, purpose, recipient, deadline, opinion) · por + cause, route, price, duration, means, per · por + o/a/os/as = pelo/pela/pelos/pelas (ordinary noun phrases)
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This contrast can change how a Brazilian understands your intention. Fiz isso para você often presents you as the recipient; Fiz isso por você can present you as the reason, the person represented or the beneficiary. Vou para o Rio names the destination; Vou pelo Rio names a route, without saying how long you stay. English for overlaps some uses of both prepositions, but their other uses also correspond to "to", "through", "by" and other words. Decide from the verb and context.
Before you open your mouth, ask yourself: am I pointing at a target, or at a reason, a route or a price?
A target — somewhere you are headed, something you want, someone who gets it, a date you owe it by → para.
A cause behind you, a path you cross, a price you hand over, a stretch of time you spend → por.
Picture para as an arrow with a point on the end, and por as a line you travel along or a weight pushing you from behind. These images help with the contrasts below.
These pictures are a guide to the examples, not an exhaustive rule. Por can also express support, benefit or purpose, as in lutar por (fight for). The verb and context decide the meaning.
| Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Este ônibus vai para o aeroporto? | Does this bus go to the airport? |
| Eu preciso do relatório para amanhã. | I need the report by tomorrow. |
| Ela viajou para o Nordeste por duas semanas. | She travelled to the Northeast for two weeks. |
| A gente entrou pela porta dos fundos. | We came in through the back door. |
| Desculpa pelo atraso! | Sorry for the delay! |
| Comprei este violão por trezentos reais. | I bought this guitar for three hundred reais. |
| Ele estuda inglês para trabalhar fora. | He studies English in order to work abroad. |
| Mando os documentos por WhatsApp. | I'll send the documents by WhatsApp. |
| Para mim, o melhor açaí é o de Belém. | For me, the best açaí is the one from Belém. |
| Nós corremos na praia três vezes por semana. | We run on the beach three times a week. |
Writing por o or por a in an ordinary noun phrase. ❌ Passei por o centro → ✅ Passei pelo centro. (I went through downtown.) Likewise pela, pelos and pelas. Pronouns and infinitive-clause subjects need separate analysis.
Using para for an actual past length of stay. ❌ Fiquei lá para dois dias → ✅ Fiquei lá por dois dias. (I stayed there for two days.) Durante or a bare dois dias can also express that duration.
Thanking for help with para. Here the help is the reason for thanks: ❌ Obrigado para a ajuda → ✅ Obrigado pela ajuda. (Thanks for the help.) This does not mean every expression of gratitude must use por.
Confusing the expense and the recipient of payment. Paguei por duas cervejas (I paid for two beers) identifies the expense; Paguei para ele (I paid him) identifies the recipient in this example. Paying does not say who consumed what was paid for.
Confusing an opinion with acceptance. Para mim, está bom (In my view, it’s fine) expresses an assessment. Por mim, está bom (Fine by me) commonly expresses acceptance or no objection, not necessarily permission. Their readings can overlap in context.
Using para for the person awaited or the object sought. ❌ Estou esperando para você → ✅ Estou esperando por você, or Estou esperando você. (I’m waiting for you.) Likewise Estou procurando por um hotel / Estou procurando um hotel. (I’m looking for a hotel.) Para can occur with these verbs for a purpose or beneficiary, which is a different meaning.
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