Which meaning of “for” to use when and in what context!

to express gratitude or apology. for multiplication and division for velocity, frequency and proportion. meaning "through," "along," "by" or "in the area of“. when talking about exchange, including sales. to mean "on behalf of," or "in favor of,“. to express a length of time. to express an undetermined, or general time, meaning "during“. for means of communication or transportation. in cases of mistaken identity, or meaning "to be seen as“. to show the reason for an errand (with ir, venir, pasar, mandar, volver, and preguntar). when followed by an infinitive, to express an action that remains to be completed, use por + infinitive to express cause or reason. "estar por" means to be in the mood, or inclined to do something.

to indicate destination. to show the use or purpose of a thing. to mean "in order to" or "for the purpose of”. to indicate a recipient. to express a deadline or specific time. to express a contrast from what is expected. "estar para" to express an action that will soon be completed.

It is quite important to know when you use each word because if you use the wrong one, you might end up saying something completely different from what meant! Here are two examples; Juan compró el regalo para María. Juan bought the gift for Maria. (he bought it to give to her) Juan compró el regalo por María. Juan bought the gift for Maria. (he bought it because she could not)

"Por" and "para" can also be used in questions. "¿Por qué?" means "Why?" (for what reason) "¿Para qué?" means "Why?" (for what purpose). Here are two examples; ¿Por qué estudias español? For what reason do you study Spanish? Possible answer: Porque es un requisito. Because it's required. ¿Para qué estudias español? For what purpose do you study Spanish? Possible answer: Para ser profesor de español. In order to become a Spanish teacher