The Cause-Effect Trick To Remember Your Por And Para

Be it Spanish or any other language, the most painful aspect invariably turns out to be the appropriate usage of its prepositions. To us English speakers Spanish prepositions might seem way too unruly and chaotic but that’s how the Spanish speakers feel about English too. Try explaining to them, for instance, why you live “in” the house but are “at” home! Grammar rules, more often than not, defy all logic. Fortunately, when it comes to the Spanish por and para, there still exists enough logic to save your day. Mastering this logic is key to proficiency in Spanish as these prepositions are just too damn indispensable.

It’s all about the sense

One thing that’s obvious is that prepositions, more so than any other figure of speech, can never be translated word-for-word. For example, memorizing that a means “to” and por means “for” is only going to prove disastrous for your Spanish skills. The key to using the right preposition in Spanish is knowing which one conveys what you mean the best. Hence, the first step would be to rid yourself of the idea than por and para are two different translations the English “for” only to make non-natives’ lives miserable!

It’s true that the two prepositions are more related to “for” than to any other English preposition, but it runs deeper than that. Being related is one thing and carrying the same sense is another. For example, consider the following two sentences:

This book is for you

I’m looking for a book

Though both of them use the word “for” but do they carry the same meaning? Just because English uses the same word for the two drastically unrelated scenarios, doesn’t mean Spanish and other languages must too. This realization is extremely important. Don’t learn what the word translates into in English. Learn, instead, what sense it conveys. Translate the sense, not the word.

Cause and effect

Working “for” (para) him or “in behalf of” (por) him? It’s all about perspective!
Photo credit: Bark licensed CC BY 2.0

The trick is to see every “for” scenario as a “cause vs. effect” one. A means vs. an end, if you will. Por goes with the cause and para, the effect. Imagine drawing a line in space and time. Por would lie someplace at the beginning or along that line while the very end of the line is where you’ll find para. Still confused? Let’s illustrate this.

Imagine you and Freddie work in the same office and have the same boss, Rodrigo. One day, Freddie is sick and you are asked to fill in for him on his project. Now who are you working for? Freddie? Or, Rodrigo? You are working on that project “because” Freddie didn’t show up. Obviously, he’s the reason you’re on this project in the first place.

Trabajo por Freddie (I work for/in behalf of/because of Freddie)

On the other hand, Rodrigo is your employer. In this context, your working for him is actually the effect or the result of him employing you. He is the recipient of your work. He sits at the far end of our imaginary line. Hence this scenario calls for a para:

Trabajo para Rodrigo (I work for Rodrigo)

To sum up, para is used whenever “for” means “in order to” because it invariably follows a goal, an effect. And that’s also the reason why por is used whenever “for” carries a sense of “by,” “in behalf of,” “for the sake of,” or “because of.” Let these examples illustrate this:

Jugo para ganar (I play for winning or I play in order to win).

Hice para ella (I did it for her).

Notice the para in the last sentence. What’s implied here is that she is the recipient of my action and it’s only me who was supposed to do it (maybe she’s my boss). However, if I did it “because of” her (say, to please her or because she didn’t do it), i.e., I wasn’t meant to do it but I did it anyway, the Spanish would take por:

Hice por ella

Check out the following scenario in the same vein:

Compro el regalo para ella (I am buying the gift for her).

Here, the gift is “meant for” her. She’s the intended recipient and the goal of this action. However, if I were buying it “in her behalf,” the preposition of choice becomes por.

Motion and destination

Salimos para Ibiza
Photo credit: David Sim licensed CC BY 2.0

Let’s extend our imaginary-line theory to scenarios involving physical movements and see if it holds water. If we draw a line tracing any such motion, our theory says that para will only hint at what lies at the far end of the line (the destination) and por, at whatever lies either at the start of the line or someplace along it (the origin or the way).

Salimos para Ibiza (We’re leaving for Ibiza)

Here, Ibiza is at the far end of our line. So it takes para.

Now, consider this sentence:

Vamos por Ibiza (We’re going through Ibiza).

Here, Ibiza is no longer our destination. Instead, it falls someplace along the line. We will travel right through it and continue on our journey. So this time, por wins.

Vamos por Ibiza
Photo credit: Chapuisat licensed CC BY 2.0

For the same reason, por also wins if you were going toward Ibiza but it were not our final destination. But, if you were going in that direction with the intention of reaching Ibiza, para goes. See these sentences:

Ven por aquí (Come this way).

Ven para aquí (Come here).

The line in time

What if we draw our imaginary line in time? Will it hold? Let’s see. Our theory says that por will stay along the line or at the start but never the end. The end is for para.

Caminé por tres horas (I walked for 3 hours).

In this case, the line spans the entire course of action, starting when I start walking and ending when I stop. So, the “for” seems to span the length of that line, sticking “along” it and not at the end of it. That sounds like por!

Now, observe this scenario:

La tarea para lunes es leer el capítulo (The homework for Monday is to read the chapter).

Here, Monday is the destination in time. The homework has to be done by Monday. That’s where the line ends. You can observe many other examples to understand this better:

Estará aquí para marzo (She’ll be here by March).

Salen para octubre (They’re leaving by October).

Exchange or substitution

The trick is slightly different but ridiculously simple. Just remember how the English “per” sounds just like por. Of course, that will help you remember that “per” directly turns into por when translated into Spanish:

Mi carro rinde veinte millas por galón (My car goes twenty miles per gallon).

This trick can also be extended to cover all scenarios involving any kind of exchange. If por is good for “miles per gallon,” it might as well be good for “kilometers per hour” or “dollars per pound.” It can also cover a situation such as this:

Pagó cinco dólares por el libro (She paid five dollars for the book).

Why? Two reasons actually. First, there’s a clear exchange involved here: Dollars for books, not too different from “miles for gallon” or “dollars per pound.” Another reason is our cause-and-effect theory. The dollars are being paid “for the sake of” the book. The book is the reason for this transaction, and reasons are defined by por, remember? Even the car runs 20 miles only “because” there is a gallon of gas in it!

So, you see life’s much simpler than it seemed. Just remember the cause-and-effect principle and imagine actions around the imaginary line we talked about and you should be comfortable with pretty much any por-para situation. This is, of course, not all there is to por and para and there are many, many scenarios that involve them. But these broad categories should cover most of the common ones and help you get a head start in understanding the prepositions without cramming up any grammar rules. Feel free to share with us if you have any other por-para trick that helped you nail these devils.

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Learn Spanish Watching Telenovelas At DramaFever Latino

Our friend Andrew was terrible at Spanish. He would often complain about how difficult it was and how despite, his most sincere efforts, he would never be reasonably fluent in the language. We always tried to encourage him, but we must admit that we too doubted the prospects of him ever becoming fluent. Even after several Spanish courses and video tutorials, Andrew could barely get started on conversations with native speakers. It was overwhelming and he was ready to call it quits. But in a last frugal effort he decided to take some time and work from Argentina (one of the many virtues of working as a web developer).

A few months later Andrew returned a changed man. What were once fragile mutters limited to basic introductions and overused phrases became elaborate discussions plentiful in colloquialisms and hand gestures. It was a beautiful sight.

Tacit learning vs. classroom Spanish

Without enough exposure, no amount of studying will help your Spanish
Photo credit: Christoffer licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

In retrospect, although Andrew struggled more than most, his experience was not atypical. You probably know someone who moved abroad and picked up the language quite quickly – faster than if he or she would have studied it from his or her home country. Intuitively, it is not hard to see how the constant exposure to a new language in day-to-day interactions would push one to learn faster. However, educational research tells us that it is more than just frequency of exposure, but also the method of exposure. The improved rate of learning comes largely from the use of tacit vs. explicit knowledge creation.

Think of tacit knowledge as intuition. It is knowledge we already have or acquired through past experiences, but we are unable to easily explain it to others. It’s what we have learned through practice, observation, and repetition. Think of knowing how to ride a bike, or more relevant, your own native language. You may not necessarily consciously understand the ins and outs of it, but you know what sounds right and what doesn’t and how to speak it. On the other hand, explicit knowledge is what you learn from studying facts, policies, and rules, i.e., your typical classroom learning experience. Both are important methods for knowledge creation, however language learners tend to spend the majority of their time developing explicit knowledge. Meanwhile those who learn a language in a foreign country develop a more extensive tacit knowledge drawn from exposure to the local environment and even television.

Total immersion is always at hand

Tacit knowledge development is precisely the reason why most “experts” will tell you that watching foreign television is a great way to learn a language. Now, Andrew was lucky that he could afford a vacation in Argentina, both financially and job-wise. But, let’s face it, such vacations are not always terribly practical or even affordable for most of us. As much as we’d love it, not all of us are blessed with the life of a freewheeling globe-trotter. There’s job, there’s family, there’s the anxiety of an alien culture, and then there’s the expenses involved. So, does that knell the doom of immersion for us lesser mortals? Not in today’s world at least, thanks to the global connectivity provided by the omnipresent Internet!

Short of taking a long break and moving to another country, the best (and the most amusing) way to immerse yourself into a new culture is through the local entertainment they produce, which reflects the language, traditions and customs of their world. An immensely useful example is watching traditional Spanish shows or telenovelas to practice listening comprehension and absorb the elaborate yet necessary colloquialisms. It’s no coincidence that this is the method recommended by many.

If you live in the United States, you may already have access to some Spanish TV channels. Or, if you’d rather watch from your computer or phone, take a look at free sites like DramaFever Latino, which allows you to watch full Spanish telenovelas online from Latin America and Spain with English subtitles.

Nonetheless, we’re not saying it will be easy: The tacit learning method requires active engagement and participation, not mere rote memorization. But it will pay dividends! Auditory learning tends to be more organic - babies learn languages by simply listening to the flow of dialogue and drawing logical connections. While you’re no longer a baby (we’d presume) your learning process will be somewhat similar. By watching Spanish shows and telenovelas you’ll be listening to real dialogue, not perfectly enunciated classroom Spanish, which will strengthen your listening abilities in real situations.

That being said, don’t burn your books yet. The best learning method is one which effectively combines traditional explicit learning with tacit knowledge creation. After all, knowing the difference between what sounds right and what is actually right can save you moments of mild embarrassment.

DramaFever Latino

DramaFever is one of the richest sources of free TV shows and novelas
Photo credit: DramaFever Latino

Of the many resources available all over the Internet when it comes to television programming in the Spanish language, DramaFever Latino is one of the most promising ones worth giving a shot. Launched as recently as 2009, this site has rapidly become a behemoth of a database with the credit of having one of the largest collection of international television content.

Available on a wide range of platforms including iOS and Android, this library currently offers over 13,000 episodes from across 12 countries and counting. This overwhelming array of programs should be enough to satiate your taste no matter how fussy. And if you can manage to get hooked to even one such program, that’s the Holy Grail of learning Spanish! Entertainment is the best teacher, more so when it comes to learning Spanish.

You can choose to be a free member or paid depending on your financial comfort. Even if you choose to go for the free subscription, you have at your disposal the entire collection of videos, unlimited with no strings attached, albeit with commercials. A paid subscription (which is surprisingly not quite a hole in your pocket at less than $10 a month) gets you the same library but in high definition and without any commercials.

Not keen on having to sign up on a zillion websites every time you find something useful enough? Well, DramaFever allows you to login with your existing Facebook credentials so no need to waste time filling out those annoying registration forms. By the way, the paid plan is also available $9.99 a year if you’re not a big fan of paying every month. However, you are advised to first try out their free subscription before you decide to take out that credit card.

So, there you are; no more excuses for not getting enough exposure to Spanish. Just go for the kill! There is a whole world out there doing incredible number of different things to help you learn that language. It’s a shame if you still feel you don’t have enough resources at hand. Just remember: It is entirely possible to learn Spanish without spending a dime and without getting bored. All it costs is your willpower and perseverance.

Feel free to drop a note in the comment section below to share your experiences with DramaFever Latino with the rest of us. We are eager to hear you out!

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Learn A New Language With A Used Brain

Let’s be honest and admit that learning any language, let alone Spanish, is an art most of us lack a taste for. It’s more of an “acquired” taste that needs a lot of optimism and an open mind to fully appreciate. In this article, we take a step back from our core focus and review a very interesting book that talks about languages in general instead of just Spanish. This book does not teach you Spanish or any language for that matter. What it does is a whole lot more – It teaches you how to teach yourself just about any language! Review this book with us and boost your linguistic morale like many others around the world.

Could learning Spanish make you Smarter?

Learning a language is great for communicating with new people and expanding your cultural savvy. But it has other benefits: language study actually changes the brain! Language learning can up your intelligence, improve your overall linguistic ability, and if you’re older, even ward off dementia. Talk about two birds with one stone!

A recent New York Times article talks about studies which show that being bilingual improves the portion of the brain we use to plan, to solve problems, and to perform difficult mental tasks. These changes are especially strong in children, but even older adults learning a language can benefit. The article points out that “...these processes include ignoring distractions to stay focused, switching attention willfully from one thing to another and holding information in mind–like remembering a sequence of directions while driving.” Anyone who has had to switch back and forth between English and Spanish or has struggled to understand a rapid speaker will understand how that can process can challenge the brain and focus the mind. And, as it turns out, language study enables you to address mental challenges better in areas that don’t even involve a foreign language.

With so many good reasons to learn a second language – for kids and grown-ups too – it’s best to be sure you’re using the most up-to-date methods.

New language with a used brain?

How’s that for a title? Intriguing, isn’t it? That’s what we are going to explore in this article. Now that we already know how learning a foreign language boosts our faculties, it’s imperative that we start doing it instead of just sitting pretty and talking about it. But where do we start? There’s just enough amount of resources out there to keep you wondering for an entire lifetime before you’ve even started! Isn’t it ironical that what’s meant to help you learn is also the very reason that’s keeping you from taking the plunge?

Lynn’s experience with French is just as relevant to Spanish learners too
Photo credit: Lynn McBride and Amazon.com

So obviously we need to get over this primitive dilemma and learn to sift the tools and methodologies than work from those that don’t. Easier said than done. Lynn McBride explores this topic in her new book, How to Learn a New Language with a Used Brain (available as a Kindle ebook at all Amazon sites for an extremely modest $2.99, and to be released as paperback in July, 2013). In addition to revealing all the surprising ways language learning can make you smarter and more sophisticated, the book gives you the very latest methods for successful language study.

The book is short but packed with ideas for making language learning effective, and, most important, fun. Here’s a peek at what’s inside the book:

• A program for learning that you can tailor to your needs and learning style, called Six Steps to a Bilingual Life: A Roadmap for Your Language Journey, with a focus on keeping your motivation up, and finding ways to immerse yourself and practice conversation.


• Tips and secrets from from expats, language experts, and many of Lynn’s blog readers who are on the front lines of language learning (Lynn blogs at Southern Fried French).


• A “best of” review of the major resources for language learning, from freebies to packaged programs, and including lots of the dazzling new online opportunities for learning and interacting. There is also a review of the top learning packages available for purchase.


• A special section for expats, on how they can optimize their language learning. Learning a language while living in a foreign country has its own special set of opportunities and issues, and the book discusses how to manage them.

The book focuses on the three keys of language learning. The first is to find ways to immerse yourself in the language. That means listening, talking, reading and writing, after you’ve mastered some of the basics. And with today’s online resources, absolute immersion is getting easier all the time.

The second key is to make a real commitment to learning the language, and to stick to it. The book has lots of ideas for setting up a personal program that’s doable, even if you only have a few minutes a day to devote to language study.

And make it fun! That’s the third and most important key. It’s doubtful you’ll stick with a program that’s dry, boring, and dead-beat monotonous. Still wondering why you don’t remember squat of what they taught in your high school Spanish classes? There are lots of ways to spice it up, add variety, and keep your self motivated, included in the book. One of the best ways is to make language learning a family project, involving kids and grandparents. Or, to learn a language with an friend, even if it’s an on-line chat-buddy. Language learning can really, and should preferably, be a social event.

So who is Lynn McBride after all?

Lynn and Domino at Château de Balleure
Photo credit: Lynn McBride/Southern Fried French 

The author of the book we just reviewed, of course. But she’s much more than that and that’s what lends her book the credibility for us to endorse it so enthusiastically. She is an American author from the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, who has under her belt, articles published in some of the most well-read magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Better Homes & Gardens, France Magazine, Living France, you name it. She has also worked with Meredith Publishing (Better Homes & Gardens and Traditional Home) in the past.

Lynn’s turning point came when she moved to the beautiful wine country of Burgundy in southern France (lucky lady!) with her husband, Ron, and cat, Domino. Here in France, with the help of her French hosts, Nicole and Pierre Balvay, Lynn started the process of rapidly absorbing everything French – the cuisine, the language, and the culture. The process has still not stopped and will perhaps never. This experience have her an incredibly valuable insight into the dynamics of learning a new language and she decided to share her experience with the rest of the world through the very book that we talked about here.

Speaking of French cuisine, she has really perfected her culinary skills while living in France and her recipes have appeared in quite a few national newspapers and magazines, both online and otherwise. So, if you ever happen to wind up in her neck of the woods, feel free to gatecrash her party and feast till you drop (just don’t tell her we referred you)!

So if you’re not learning Spanish, maybe you should be! If you want to “get smart” and maximize your Spanish learning, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced student, this book will do the trick.

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