Answers
Oct 05, 2017 - 04:38 PM
Here's a great explanation I found on Por vs Para: https://www.quora.com/Spanish-language-What-is-the-rule-of-thumb-for-whe...
Oct 05, 2017 - 07:22 PM
That helps but it's not definitive, at least not at this point. I would think it would be covered in the conversation breakdown but not this time. Like when giving or asking for directions, Sonia said it was a gray area and, for the most part, es and está are both correct depending on the situation. I know there are going to be exceptions and I'd much rather be an English speaker trying to learn Spanish rather than the reverse. I got tons of information taking up 2 bulletin boards along with several hundred home made flashcards. I got this stuff rolling around in my head even when I don't want it there. And without a place to use it I can feel it fading. I still think this needs to be an option within Fluenz, a subscription service of some kind. Fluenz is a great program but I think this is a big missing piece. I know people talk about sites like italki but I can't seem to get my questions answered on the sites. Out of 4 questions I wrote to tutors, I received 1 answer that didn't address my question. I'll keep at it though, see where I end up. Thanks Andy.
Oct 06, 2017 - 03:33 AM
I'm going to double check with our Spanish team on this to get you a better response.
Oct 06, 2017 - 09:28 AM
When you want to say the reason you are doing something, you'll use 'para'. The easiest trick is that if you can replace the 'to' in English with 'in order to' then use para. So for example, 'Estoy aquí para hablar con españoles'—'I'm here (in order) to speak with Spanish people'. But "por" can be translated as "because of". So you say "por trabajo" = "because of work" and "para trabajar" = "in order to work/for working".
We can say that we'd use "por" when we want to talk about the reason why we do something, and "para" when we refer to the purpose.
- "Vine a los Estados Unidos por trabajo = (I) came to the United States for work/because of (my) work": the stress is on the fact that work is the reason why I came to the United States.
- "Vine a los Estados Unidos para trabajar" = (I) came to the United States (in order) to work": the stress is on the purpose of the trip
We can say that we'd use "por" when we want to talk about the reason why we do something, and "para" when we refer to the purpose.
- "Vine a los Estados Unidos por trabajo = (I) came to the United States for work/because of (my) work": the stress is on the fact that work is the reason why I came to the United States.
- "Vine a los Estados Unidos para trabajar" = (I) came to the United States (in order) to work": the stress is on the purpose of the trip
Oct 06, 2017 - 11:51 AM
Hey Andy. It's very possible I'm having a brain blockage here. Getting old xxxx at times. In any case I'm going to go ahead and eat this one and move on. It's likely that a year from now, provided I find a person or group and start to use what I've learned, it'll become obvious. Thanks for doing the extra research on this. As usual, it's much appreciated.
Oct 08, 2017 - 02:20 PM
The reason you have to use "por" in this situation is... Because in a sentence like this one, you are having to explain "the reason you are having to do something". Is like saying -Im going to the store for my groceries- You will also have to use "por". "Voy a la tienda por mi despensa.
Oct 14, 2017 - 10:57 AM
ojos - There is a good Spanish Butterfly video on YouTube that goes over this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UsHm... It's 46 minutes long (one of her longest)! So that tells you how complicated of a subject it is.
