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Thursday, March 26, 2015 (read 1718 times)
Por and Para - Examples
by Salomé TorresAs I was saying a couple of weeks ago, I think that Cognitive Grammar is extremely useful for teaching the difference between POR and PARA.
We have to look for a unique grammatical meaning that can be expressed in visual terms and that can logically explain all common uses without exception. It’s a simple exercise but you must also use common language. As a base, I used Matte Bon’s analysis: PARA expresses the notion of afterwards while POR expresses the notion of beforehand or simultaneity (the word mainly integrates the uses of the Latin prepositions pro and per, but also a, ab, prae, and propter, which means that it has two very different meanings depending on whether the verb is in motion or not).
Expressed in cognitive terms we can say that:
Por with verbs in movement expresses –[----]→ (movement in a place)
Por with verbs without movements expresses [¿?] (imprecise location)
Para expresses → ¿ [] (imprecise direction)
If we apply these values metaphorically with time:
Por expresses time duration –[----]→ "por la mañana"
Por expresses location during an imprecise time [¿?] "El accidente ocurrió por la Navidad"
Para expresses a certain amount of time in the future, a postponement → ¿ []
If we apply these values using common logic and natural language we can say:
Por expresses before: "Estudia en la Universidad por una beca"
Por expresses during: "Estudia por diversión"
Para expresses afterwards: "Estudia para ingeniero"
So now we that we have a clear rule we’re going make it operative. What do I mean by making it operative? I mean making it a rule that allows students to correctly choose between POR and PARA as they’re speaking without having to stop to consider the 30 different contexts used for POR and the 12 used for PARA.
The way this operative rule is formulated is simple: if I want to say X, then I use Y. In other words if I want to say afterwards, then I use PARA, and if not then I use POR. Let’s see how it works:
|
Voy ….. la playa |
Do I talk about going first and then mention the beach? Then I use PARA. Does me going happen at the beach? Do they coexist? Then use POR. |
|
Mañana me paso …. tu casa |
Do I stop by (paso), and then your house (casa)? Then use PARA. No? Stop by happens at your house? Then use POR. |
|
El avión sale a las 8 …. Londres |
Does the plane leave (sale) and then go to London? Then use PARA. |
|
Me encanta pasear …. el centro |
Do I go for a walk and then go to the center? Then use PARA. No? Going for a walk happens at the center? They coexist? Then use POR. |
|
Los jóvenes se van de España … la crisis |
Do they leave (se van) Spain and then there’s a crisis? No? The crisis happened before and during their emigration? They coexist? Then use POR. |
|
Los jóvenes se van de España …. encontrar trabajo |
Do they leave Spain and later find work? Then use PARA. |
|
He comprado un regalo …. María |
Do I buy the gift and then give it to María? Then us PARA. |
|
Hablo con mi madre …. Skipe |
Do I talk and then go use Skype? No? Then use POR. |
|
Como el niño se caía lo cogí ...el pelo |
Did I catch the child and then grab his hair? No? Then use POR. |
|
Esta es mi ropa …. los días de lluvia |
Do I have these clothes and later if it rains then I wear them? Then use PARA. |
Since language is an instrument that’s constantly being sharpened, we find that in Spanish we use POR and PARA as grammatical instruments for meanings which in other languages are explained in different ways. Below we take a look at difficult cases:
|
Yo no puedo hacer este trabajo, hazlo tú … por mí. |
Are you doing it first and then you give it to me? No? Then use POR (you’re doing it when I should be doing it, in my place, and at the time which corresponds to me) |
|
Me encanta tu tiramisú, haz uno … mí, por favor |
Are you making it and then giving it to me? Then use PARA. |
|
Yo no puedo hacer el tiramisú, hazlo tú …. mi y se lo llevas a mis padres |
Are you making it and then giving it to me? No? then use POR. |
|
Mató a su socio .... dinero |
Did he kill his partner and then get the money? No? That’s the motive, this is a special use of POR, in which we express that the money is everything, an obsession previous to, during, and after the murder. We use POR to express this notion |
|
La Cruz Roja lucha … la paz |
Does the Red Cross work and then there’s peace? Then use POR, since while working their goal is to achieve peace, but that doesn’t mean that they think they’re going to necessarily achieve it right away. |
|
Es muy alto ….. su edad |
Is he tall if I think about his age later? Then use PARA. |
|
Es muy alto…. sus raíces escandinavas |
Is he very tall and then he’s Scandinavian? No? Then use POR. Is he tall because before he had Scandinavian origins, a father, a mother, grandparents? |
Por and Para - Let's Simplify
“If it’s afterward then use PARA and if not then use POR” and if you want your students to see it even more clearly, explain it with your hands; your right hand is the place and your left hand is the action:
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