| by, by means of | Te avisaré por correo electrónico. Vamos por tren. | I will let you know by (by means of) e-mail. We are going by train. |
| through, along | Pasé por tu casa. Vamos por la otra puerta. Me gusta pasar por la playa. | I passed by your house. Let's go through the other door. I like to walk along the beach. |
| during, in (time of day) | Leo por la tarde. | I read in the afternoon. |
| duration | Estudio por tres horas cada día. Estuve en Madrid por un mes. | I study for three hours each day. I was in Madrid for one month. |
| because of, due to | Por ti voy a llegar tarde. ¿Por qué? Estoy nerviosa por la entrevista. | Because of you I'm going to be late. Why? (Because of what?) I'm nervous for (because of) the interview. |
| in exchange for | Piden 25 dólares por la bicicleta. Le dimos diez pesos por los naipes. Gracias por el pan. | They're asking $25 for the bicycle. We gave him ten dollars for the cards. Thanks for the bread. |
| for the sake of, on behalf of | Lo hago por el pobre. Lo hacemos por sus hijos. | I did it for (for the sake of) the poor. We do it for our children (for their sake). |
| rate, "per" | Lava los platos dos veces por semana. Los huevos son más baratos por docena. | He washes the dishes twice a week. Eggs are cheaper by the dozen. |
Por is also used in many expressions.
| por Dios | for heaven's sake |
| por ahora | for the time being |
| por casualidad | by chance |
| por ejemplo | for example |
| por eso | therefore |
| por lo general | generally |
| por lo menos | at least |
| por si acaso | just in case |
| por favor | please |
| por supuesto | of course |
| por fin | finally |
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| for, in order to | Ella llamó para hablar con su amigo. Estudia para ganar buenas notas. | She called to (in order to) talk to her friend. He studies to (in order to) earn good grades. |
| for, destined for, to be given to | Todo esto es para ti. Les dimos una muñeca para su hija. | All this is for you. We gave them a doll for their daughter. |
| for, by (deadline) | Debe llegar para el viernes. La composición es para el martes. | It has to arrive by Friday. The composition is for Tuesday. |
| for, toward, in the direction of | Salieron para Nueva York ayer. | They left for New York yesterday. |
| for, purpose | Compré este tomate para la cena. Estas cortinas son para esas ventanas. | I bought this tomato for (for the purpose of) dinner. These curtains are for those windows. |
| for, as compared with others, in relation to others | Para extranjera, habla muy bien el español. Para tí, la química es fácil. | For a foreigner, she speaks Spanish very well. For you, chemistry is easy. |
| for, in the employ of | Trabajamos para la universidad. | We work for the university. |
Para is also used in many expressions.
| para bien/mal | for good/bad |
| para colmo | on top of everything |
| para mejor/peor | for better/worse |
| para siempre | forever |
| para variar | for a change |
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