Spanish word

por

Pronunciation

IPA/poɾ/

Meaning

  • prepositionby

Example

Viajamos por tren.

We travel by train.

Illustration for por (by)

More examples

Hablamos por teléfono anoche.

We spoke by telephone last night.

Core concept

A pathway cutting across a field.

Common phrases

  • por tren

    by train

  • por teléfono

    by telephone

  • por correo

    by mail

Similar words

para: Indicates purpose or intended outcome of an action.
durante: Marks that something occurs throughout a specific time period.
por medio de: Specifies a method or tool used to accomplish something.
gracias a: Attributes a favorable result to a person, thing, or circumstance.

Definition in Spanish

Se usa para expresar causa o motivo, medio, cambio o intercambio, duración y movimiento a través de un lugar.

Word origin

Por comes from Latin per 'through' and keeps a transit image that generalizes into expressions of means, cause, exchange, duration, and movement.

Usage tips

  • When por appears before an amount or unit it often means per rather than for, as in lo venden por kilo and cincuenta kilómetros por hora.

Other meanings

  • throughpreposition
  • instead ofpreposition
  • perpreposition
  • duringpreposition

Opposites

Word lists with this word