SCENARIO
Imagine
you are talking to a relative, a friend or a colleague. Maybe you are
holding what looks like a present in your hands. The other person is
curious and says to you something like: "tell me, is that a
present for me?".
In
Spanish, he/ she could choose to be less formal and say to you:
Dime,
¿ese regalo es para mí?
On the
other hand, he/ she could choose to be more formal and say to you:
Dígame,
¿ese regalo es para mí?
OUR
TIP
The question is an
invitation for you to say who the intended recipient for what you
have in your hands is. When you say who the intended recipient of
something is, you DO NOT need to be concerned about the level
of formality in the other person's question. Your main concern should
be about communicating who the item in question is for. Perhaps what
you want to say about intended recipient of the item is:
- The same one as in the question;
- Not the same one as in the question;
- Not the same one as in the question, but someone else;
Here are some
examples of what you could say and practise the use of “para”:
- Sí, este regalo es para ti* (yes, this present is for you);
- No, este regalo no es para ti* (no, this present is not for you);
- No, este regalo no es para ti, es para mi madre* (no, this present is not for you, it is for my mum);
Now you should
practise further the use of “para” by replying to someone
who says to you:
Dime,
¿ese regalo es para mí?
*Please
see grammar below
Grammar-”PARA”
The
use of “para” and “por” often causes some
confusion amongst learners of Spanish. This blog posts deals with the
uses of “para”. A separate series of blog posts is
dedicated to the uses of “por”.
In
this post we look at a number of situations in which “para”
is commonly used. “Para” is commonly used in the following
cases:
1.
Objective
In Spanish, “para”
is often used before an infinitive used to express the objective of
the action of a verb. In such cases, the meaning of “para”
is something like “in order to... “.
For
example:
- Estudio español para poder hablarlo (I study Spanish in order to be able to speak it);
- Tienes que comer menos para adelgazar (you have to eat less in order to loose weight);
- Pedro va al gimnasio para mantenerse en forma (Pedro goes to the gym in order to keep fit);
2.
Purpose
In Spanish, “para”
is often used with verbs such as “ser”/ “estar”
to express the purpose of something.
For
example:
- Este lápiz es para escribir (this pencil is for writing);
- Estamos para ayudar (we are here to help);
- La copa es para el vino (the glass is for the wine);
3.
Direction/ Destination
In Spanish, “para”
is often used with verbs such as “ir”/ “venir”/
“salir” and similar verbs and before the name of a place.
In such cases, “para” means something like “towards“/
“for” and identifies a direction or destination.
For
example:
- El autobús va para Madrid (the bus is going to/ towards Madrid);
- ¿Venís para Barcelona? (are you coming to Barcelona?);
- Pedro salió para Vigo (Pedro departed for Vigo);
4.
Intended Recipient
In Spanish, “para”
is often before the name of a person or object to indicate the
intended recipient of something. In such cases, “para”
means something like “for“.
For
example:
- El regalo es para mi madre (the present is for my mother);
- ¿Compraste ese libro para Pedro? (did you buy that book for Pedro?);
- Antonio me dio una camisa para ti (Antonio gave me a shirt for you);
5.
Deadline
In Spanish, “para”
is often used before a time expression to indicate a deadline for
some action. In such cases, “para” means something like
“for“/ “by”.
For
example:
- Los deberes de español son para mañana (my Spanish homework is due tomorrow);
- Entregaré este trabajo para el viernes (I will hand in this work by Friday);
- Pagaré la matrícula para el día quince (I will pay the registration fee by the 15th);
6.
Contrasting
In Spanish, “para”
is often used to contrast some characteristic of an individual
against the same characteristic of a group the individual belongs to.
In such cases the meaning of “para” is something like
“for“/ “compared with others... “.
For
example:
- Para un perro Pluto no ladra nada (for a dog Pluto does not bark at all);
- Para tu edad te ves muy bien (for your age you look really well);
- Para esa marca vuestro coche está muy bien (for that make, your car is very nice);
7.
Readiness/ Disposition
In Spanish, “para”
is often used with verb “estar” and followed by an
infinitive to express an action which is about to occur. In this
case, “estar para” means something like “to be
just about to... “
For
example:
- Estámos para subir al avión (we are about to board the plane);
- Estuve para quedarme en casa (I was just about to stay at home);
- Estoy para salir de un momento a otro (I am just about to leave);
8.
Duration
In Spanish, “para”
is often used with verb “tener” and followed by the
name of period of time to express what is remaining of an activity.
For
example:
- En este proyecto tenemos para un mes (this project will take us a month/ we have a month left to finish it);
- Pedro tiene para rato* (Pedro is expected to remain where he is for a while);
- Con esta lección de español tengo para un par de días (this Spanish lesson will take me a couple of days/ I should have finished it in a couple of days);
*NB
Please note idiom “tener para rato”
9.
Idiomatic Expressions
“Para”
is used in many idiomatic expressions, such as:
- Para eso... (for that...)*
- Example: ¿Para eso quieres que vaya? (you want me to go just for that?);
- ¿Para qué... ? (what for... ?)
- Example: ¿Para qué estudias español? (what are you studying Spanish for?);
- Para qué... (so that...)
- Example: Estudio españal para que mis amigos españoles me puedan entender (I study Spanish so that my Spanish friends can understand me);
*NB
Often used to pour scorn on something/ to indicate that something is
not worth the bother.
Now
you should practice the uses of “para” with some examples
of your own.
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