Por / Para

POR

by, by means of  :                   

Hablo por teléfono con mis amigos.

(I talk on the phone with my friends)

through, along :

Paseamos por el parque.

(We walk through the park.)

during, in (time of day) :

Pedro trabaja por la tarde todos los días.

(Pedro works in the afternoon every day.)

because of, due to  :

Victor está preocupado por el examen.

Victor is worried about (because of) the test.

for = in exchange for

Le di diez dólares por el boleto.

(I gave him ten dollars for the ticket.)

for = for the sake of, on behalf of

Mi abuelo trabajaba mucho por la familia.

(My grandfather worked a lot for the sake of the family.)

for = duration (often omitted)

Fuimos de vacaciones (por) dos semanas.

(We went on vacation for two weeks.)

PARA

in order to + infinitive

Estudio mucho para sacar buenas notas.

I study hard (in order) to get good grades.

for = destined for, to be given to

El regalo es para mi mamá.

(The gift is for my mom.)

for = by (deadline, specified future time)

Tengo que escribir una composición para el viernes.

(I have to write a composition for Friday.)

for = toward, in the direction of

Salimos mañana para Puerto Rico.

(We leave for Puerto Rico tomorrow.)

for = to be used for

Este cuaderno es para la clase de español.

(This notebook is for Spanish class.)

for = as compared with others, in relation to others

Para ellos, las matemáticas son fáciles.

(For them, math is easy.)

for = in the employ of 

Mi padre trabaja para una compañía de seguros.

(My father works for an insurance company.)

 

Source for para / source for por