Ch 13 · Lesson 20Spanish · Chapter 13 · Lesson 20 · Grammar primer
Por dos horas, para el lunes: por and para with time
is a deadline; is how long or roughly when. And the mistakes English speakers make.
The short version
, and
.
Why?Hide
Two habits worth breaking today. Thanks always point back at a cause, so it is , never . And duration is : . is reserved for the deadline, the by-when, as in . Mix those two up and it sounds wrong straight away.
Por and para with time
Time is where English for pulls hardest the wrong way. is a point you are heading towards, a deadline. is a stretch of time: how long, or roughly when.
por dos horas: how long it lasted (por)
por la mañana: roughly when (por)
para el lunes: the deadline (para)
Timeline from past to future, with now marked.
| Time idea | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| a deadline | . | I need it by Monday. |
| how long | . | I studied for two hours. |
| roughly when | . | I'll be back in the afternoon. |
for how long is correct, and very common in Latin America. In Spain you will more often hear , or nothing at all:
.- I studied (for) two hours.Madrid .- I lived in Madrid for three years.
For something that started in the past and is still going on, Spanish uses a different construction altogether: 2020. The hace and desde page has it.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | . | thanks look back: a cause |
. | how long is | |
| Madrid. | Madrid. | a destination is |
. | in order to is | |
| . (a gift) | . | you get it: |
. | a deadline is | |
. | a means is |
Madrid is not wrong Spanish; it means "I'm going out around Madrid", or " Madrid". If Madrid is where you are heading, it is .
Going further: The por vs para chart and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
7-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
Spanish · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekLesson 20 of 31 in this chapter