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Translation of Spanish word "por" to English

por

/poɾ/

Meaning

Preposition

Towards; in the direction of.

Reviewed by the TheLernen language teamDefinition sourced from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How to use

The preposition 'por' is used to indicate the reason or cause of something, typically in formal or written contexts. For example, 'lo hago por ti' means 'I do it for you'. A crucial grammatical nuance is that 'por' can be used with both verbs and nouns, and its meaning can change depending on the context. In informal spoken contexts, 'por' is often used with the verb 'estar' to describe someone's location.

🇬🇧 English

for, by, through

Example

Tuve que quedarme con mi malvada madrastra porque no tenía otro lugar adonde ir.

I had to stay with my evil stepmother because I had nowhere else to go.

Los astronautas se dirigieron a la luna.

The astronauts headed to the moon.

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Synonyms

paraporquethroughinstead of

Common phrases

  • por favorplease
  • por quéwhy
  • por lo tantotherefore

Frequency rank: #12 in Spanish

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Spanish word "por" mean?

The Spanish word "por" means "for, by, through" in English.

How do you pronounce the Spanish word "por"?

You can hear the correct audio pronunciation of the word "por" by clicking the play button next to the word at the top of this page.

Can I see an example sentence with "por"?

Yes, here is a practical example: "Camino por el parque." (which translates as "I had to stay with my evil stepmother because I had nowhere else to go.").

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