Por: Through a

Por acts like a bridge between your action and a location. It tells us the "middle" part of a journey. If you walk into a room, you go a the room. But if you walk *across* or *through* it, you use por. It covers any movement that happens inside a space. This includes walking along a street or looking through a window. It is very fluid and focuses on the transit. Imagine water flowing through a pipe. That flow is exactly what por represents in a sentence. It does not care where you started. It does not care where you stop. It only cares about the space you are occupying right now. It is the ultimate "vibe" preposition for travelers.

1. 1Creating a sentence with por is very straightforward. Follow these three steps:
2. 2Start with your verb of motion (like caminar, ir, or pasar).
3. 3Add the magic word por.
4. 4Finish with the noun and its article (like el parque or la puerta).
5. 5Example: Camino (Verb) + por + el parque (Noun).
6. 6Result: Camino por el parque.
7. 7It is as simple as building with Lego blocks. You do not need to change por for gender or number. It stays exactly the same every time. Whether you are passing through one door or ten, por never changes. It is the steady rock in your sentence structure.

You will use por in several real-world scenarios. Use it when you are ordering food and want it "via" delivery. Use it when asking for directions through the city center. Here are the main spots:

• Movement Through a Space: Like walking through a tunnel or a doorway. Paso por el túnel.
• Movement Along a Path: Like driving along a coastal road. Conduzco por la costa.
• General Location: When you are "around" an area but not at a specific point. Estoy por el centro.
• Means of Communication: When sending things "through" email or phone. Hablamos por teléfono.
• Looking Through Something: Like a window or a keyhole. Miro por la ventana.

Think of it as the "Intermediate" stage of any action. If there is a hole, a path, or a general area, por is your best friend. It makes your Spanish feel less robotic and more flowing.

Do not use por when you have reached your destination. That is the biggest trap for beginners. If you are pointing at a building and saying "I am going there," use para. Por is for the journey; para is for the destination.

• Don't use it for dead-end destinations.
• Don't use it for specific times (like "at 5 PM").
• Don't use it to express a recipient (like "this is for you").

Using por when you mean para is like telling a taxi driver you want to live "through" the airport instead of going "to" the airport. You might end up sleeping on the runway. Keep por for the transit and the movement. If you are standing still at your goal, por has no business being there.

One big mistake is trying to translate "through" literally using a dictionary. You might find a través de. While correct, it sounds very formal and stiff. In daily life, por is much more common.

• The Destination Trap: Saying Voy por Madrid when you mean Voy a Madrid. The first one means you are wandering through the city. The second means you are traveling to it.
• Missing the Article: Saying paso por puerta instead of paso por la puerta. Spanish loves its articles (el, la).
• Mixing with 'En': Don't say camino en la playa if you are walking along the shore. Por la playa sounds much more like a nice stroll.

Don't sweat these too much. Even if you mess up, people will usually know what you mean. Just think: am I passing through? If yes, use por!

The main rival is para. Let's settle the score.

• Por = The Path. It is the "How" and the "Where through."
• Para = The Goal. It is the "Where to" and the "Who for."

Example: Camino por el bosque para llegar a casa. (I walk *through* the forest *to* arrive home).

Another one is a. A is a sharp arrow pointing at a spot. Por is a fuzzy line following a trail.

If you are at a job interview and say you came por la recomendación, it means "via the recommendation." If you say you are there para el trabajo, it means "for the job." Both are useful, but they do different heavy lifting.