When to use POR in Spanish – Easy grammar lesson – Episode 016

When to use POR in Spanish – Easy grammar lesson

Podcast episode 16 – SEE ALL EPISODES

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Today we’re going to learn when to use the word POR.

Today’s question comes from Chris, one of my Twitter followers. Chris contacted me to say: “I’ve been trying to figure out when to use the word POR, but I’m not getting anywhere. Could you go through the rules in one of your lessons?”

See also: Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses.

Mastering words like POR is one of the most difficult topics in Spanish. In fact, prepositions are tough in every language. Think of English prepositions like: on, in, at, for, from, to, with. Even native speakers often get them wrong, and their use varies from region to region.

In my experience, both as a teacher and a language learner, the traditional way of studying the prepositions is confusing and frustrating.

When to use POR in Spanish: intro

Let’s take POR, as an example. Most language courses insist on giving you a long list with all the possible uses of this word. That’s a list of about ten rules. Which means that by the time you get to rule five, you’ve forgotten the previous four.

Instead, the trick is to focus on the most common uses. And to do so by learning some practical examples. Sentences that you can remember easily and use as a reference.

As you progress with the language, you’ll come across POR more and more often, and its use will become easier in a natural way.

So, in this lesson, we’re going to focus on the 3 main uses of POR, and I’m going to give you some easy sentences to remember them.

When to use POR in Spanish: example 1

The first sentence to remember is:

Estudio español por mi trabajo – I study Spanish because of my work

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Here, we use POR to express a reason, a cause or a motive: I study Spanish because of my work, Estudio español por mi trabajo.

When to use POR in Spanish: example 2

The second sentence to remember is:

Viajamos por España – We travel through Spain

Here, we use POR to express the idea of going through or along a place: we travel through Spain – Viajamos por España.

When to use POR in Spanish: Example 3

And the third sentence to remember is:

Estudio cinco días por semana – I study five day a week.

Here, we use POR to express the idea of moving through time: I study five day a week, Estudio cinco días por semana.

Have a look at
Maria’s step-by-step Spanish courses

Notice how POR often expresses the idea of motion. That’s motion through space or time: viajamos por España, Estudio cinco días por semana

In my option, the best shortcut to mastering the prepositions is to learn common expressions. That’s why in future lessons I’ll be giving you everyday expressions with POR.

When to use POR in Spanish: main uses

So, in this lesson, I’m not going to give you other uses of por, or other examples. Instead, let’s recap the 3 main uses:

Number 1. To express a reason, a cause or a motive: I study Spanish because of my work, Estudio español por mi trabajo, Estudio español por mi trabajo

Number 2. To express the idea of going through or along a place: we travel through Spain – Viajamos por España, Viajamos por España

And number 3. To express the idea of moving through time: I study five day a week, Estudio cinco días por semana, Estudio cinco días por semana

Let’s go through the examples once again. Repeat after me:

Estudio español por mi trabajo
Viajamos por España
Estudio cinco días por semana

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