Since they’re often used in similar situations, it’s easy to confuse the words por and para. However, using one preposition over the other can affect the information you deliver and your fluency. With that in mind, this por vs para practice quiz is meant to test your knowledge of these prepositions.
¿Vas ____ Madrid?
Are you going to Madrid?
- A para
- B por
This sentence conveys the destination you're heading to. Since ‘por’ doesn’t convey this information, 'para' is the correct answer in this example.
Joan estudia español ____ hablar con su familia.
Joan studies Spanish to speak with her family.
- A por
- B para
The correct preposition for this example is ‘para’ since this sentence expresses the purpose or intention (goal) behind Joan’s studying Spanish
Gracias ____ la invitación.
Thanks for the invitation.
- A para
- B por
Por indicates the reason or cause of something. In this case, it helps you convey why you’re saying thank you to someone. Because of this, ‘gracias’ is used with ‘por’.
Tus amigos vinieron ___ ti.
Your friends came for you.
- A por
- B para
In Spanish, the preposition ‘por’ expresses the motive or reason behind an action. In this sentence, you’re the reason why your friends came.
Yo compré estas flores ____ mi madre.
I bought these flowers for my mother.
- A por
- B para
The preposition ‘para’ is used to indicate the recipient of an action. In this example, it conveys that my mother is the person who will receive the flowers.
¿Sales ____ la mañana?
Do you leave in the morning?
- A por
- B para
La mañana is a part of the day. Since this time frame doesn’t refer to a deadline, but rather a moment in time, we must use the preposition ‘por’.
Tus hermanos trabajan ____ esa empresa.
Your brothers work for that company.
- A por
- B para
In Spanish, ‘para’ is used to talk about the recipient of an action. In many cases, the recipient will receive a physical object, such as flowers or chocolates. However, as shown in this example, recipients can also get abstract things like work effort.
Tobey está muy emocionado ____ el concierto.
Tobey is excited about the concert.
- A por
- B para
In this example, ‘por' is the correct answer because it explains the cause or reason behind your excitement (the concert).
¿Este regalo es ____ ella?
Is this gift for her?
- A por
- B para
This question inquires who is the recipient of the gift. As a result, you must use the preposition ‘para’ to complete the sentence.
Estamos aquí _____ ayudarle.
We’re here to help you.
- A para
- B por
This sentence conveys the end goal or purpose - helping you. Since it’s the preposition we use to refer to purposes, ‘para’ is the correct answer for this example.
¿ ____ qué quiero tu teléfono? ____ llamar a mi novia.
What do I want your phone for? To call my girlfriend.
- A para / para
- B por / por
In this example, the question and affirmative statement refers to someone’s purpose. So, both sentences are completed by using the preposition ‘para’.
Claudia y Mario se enojaron ____ lo que hiciste.
Claudia and Mario are mad about what you did.
- A por
- B para
In this case, the sentence conveys why Claudia and Mario are mad. Since we’re referring to causes, you must use ‘por’.
El proyecto es _____ el lunes.
The project is for Monday.
- A para
- B por
When referring to time, ‘para’ is used to discuss deadlines. With this application, ‘para’ is combined with days of the week, months, etc.
Mándame tus documentos ____ correo.
Send my documents by email.
- A por
- B para
In this example, we must use ‘por’ because this Spanish preposition is used to talk about communication means.
Betty cocina dos veces ____ semana.
Betty cooks two times per week.
- A para
- B por
The preposition ‘por’ is used to talk about parts of the days, provide a temporal reference or express the frequency of an action
Estas galletas son ____ la oficina.
These cookies are for the office.
- A por
- B para
‘Para’ is used to refer to a destination or recipient. In Spanish, recipients can be people, places, or things that receive something (the office, in this example).
Mañana ___ la mañana te voy a llevar algo que hice ____ ti.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you something I did for you.
- A por / para
- B por / por
The first part of the sentence must be completed with ‘por’ since we’re referring to a part of the day. Since the second part of the sentence implies you’re going to receive something, we must use ‘para’ to complete it.
Todo lo que he hecho, lo he hecho ____ ti.
Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you.
- A para
- B por
This example doesn’t refer to a recipient but rather expresses that you’re the reason why I’ve done something. As a result, ‘por’ is the correct answer to this question.
Te hablé ____ pedirte perdón.
I called you to say that I’m sorry.
- A para
- B por
This statement expresses the purpose of my call (to say I’m sorry). Therefore, you must complete the sentence using ‘para’.
Les hablé ____ teléfono ____ invitarlas a mi boda.
I called you to invite you to my wedding.
- A por / para
- B para / para
The first part of the sentence refers to communication means. Therefore, ‘por’ is the correct preposition for this case. On the other hand, the second part of the sentence conveys the purpose of my call. As a result, ‘para’ is the preposition you should use in this case.
Quiz Results
| Question | Answer Given | Correct Answer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Vas ____ Madrid? | |||
| Joan estudia español ____ hablar con su familia. | |||
| Gracias ____ la invitación. | |||
| Tus amigos vinieron ___ ti. | |||
| Yo compré estas flores ____ mi madre. | |||
| ¿Sales ____ la mañana? | |||
| Tus hermanos trabajan ____ esa empresa. | |||
| Tobey está muy emocionado ____ el concierto. | |||
| ¿Este regalo es ____ ella? | |||
| Estamos aquí _____ ayudarle. | |||
| ¿ ____ qué quiero tu teléfono? ____ llamar a mi novia. | |||
| Claudia y Mario se enojaron ____ lo que hiciste. | |||
| El proyecto es _____ el lunes. | |||
| Mándame tus documentos ____ correo. | |||
| Betty cocina dos veces ____ semana. | |||
| Estas galletas son ____ la oficina. | |||
| Mañana ___ la mañana te voy a llevar algo que hice ____ ti. | |||
| Todo lo que he hecho, lo he hecho ____ ti. | |||
| Te hablé ____ pedirte perdón. | |||
| Les hablé ____ teléfono ____ invitarlas a mi boda. |
Por vs Para Practice Quiz Instructions
This is a 15 multiple-choice quiz. Read each sentence carefully and complete it based on the context by choosing between por and para. To place your answer, you can click on the provided option or type A or B on your keyboard.
Once you’ve placed your response, you’ll find an explanation where you learn more about why ‘por’ or ‘para’ was used to complete the sentence.
Notes on the Differences Between Por and Para
Here is a summary of these prepositions. If you need a more detailed explanation or examples, you can check my guide on por vs para.
- Even though they may be used in similar situations and have the same translation, in Spanish, por and para convey distinctly different information.
- In simple words, we use ‘para’ to talk about the end goal or purpose of something.
- On the other hand, ‘por’ indicates why someone does something (cause or reason).
- In Spanish, the preposition para is used to refer to purposes, destinations, recipients, deadlines, and opinions.
- ‘Por’ indicates causes, communication means, exchange of resources, motion, time, and rough location.
- When expressing purpose, ‘para’ is often followed by infinitive verbs.
- Both ‘por’ and ‘para’ can be followed by people or pronouns (por ti vs para ti). However, para indicates who receives something (recipient) and por conveys that this person is why we do something.
- ‘Por’ can also refer to time, but it focuses on duration, parts of the time, and frequency, whereas ‘para’ is used for deadlines.