Por points toward an intended goal. That goal may be a beneficiary, an action someone wants to achieve, the planned use of an object, or the value received in an exchange. English uses for, to, in order to, and several other expressions for these relations; the unifying Esperanto idea is intention or intended function rather than cause.
Intended beneficiary
Use por for the person or group meant to benefit from, use, receive, or be affected by something.
Mi bakis kukon por la nova najbaro.
I baked a cake for the new neighbor.
Ĉu ĉi tiu sidloko estas por vi aŭ por via amiko?
Is this seat for you or for your friend?
La urbo malfermis senpagan legejon por infanoj kaj adoleskantoj.
The city opened a free reading room for children and teenagers.
The beneficiary is intended, not necessarily reached. I may bake the cake por la najbaro and then accidentally drop it. This intended quality distinguishes por from al, which normally marks direction or an actual recipient.
Mi aĉetis libron por ŝi, sed mi ankoraŭ ne donis ĝin al ŝi.
I bought a book for her, but I haven't given it to her yet.
The book is intended for her (por ŝi); when the transfer occurs, she is the recipient (al ŝi).
Purpose with an infinitive
Por + infinitive expresses the purpose of an action: someone does one thing in order to do another. Unlike most Esperanto prepositions, por regularly and traditionally appears directly before an infinitive.
Mi telefonis por konfirmi la rezervon.
I called to confirm the reservation.
Ŝi malfermis la fenestron por enlasi freŝan aeron.
She opened the window to let in fresh air.
Ni renkontiĝos morgaŭ por priparoli la finan proponon.
We'll meet tomorrow to discuss the final proposal.
The infinitive has no overt subject, so context supplies the understood actor. It is usually the subject of the main clause: in Mi telefonis por konfirmi, I called and I intended to confirm. With placement, giving, and similar constructions, another participant can be the natural understood actor:
Mi lasis la dokumentojn sur via tablo por subskribi.
I left the documents on your desk to be signed / for signing.
That sentence can be ambiguous about who will sign. When the actor matters, write it explicitly with por ke.
Purpose with por ke
Use por ke + finite clause when the purpose needs its own expressed subject. The verb normally takes -u, because the clause presents an intended action or result rather than an asserted fact.
Mi lasis la dokumentojn sur via tablo, por ke vi subskribu ilin.
I left the documents on your desk so that you would sign them.
Parolu iom pli laŭte, por ke ĉiuj povu aŭdi vin.
Speak a little louder so that everyone can hear you.
Ni sendos memorigilon, por ke neniu forgesu la limdaton.
We'll send a reminder so that nobody forgets the deadline.
English often uses for someone to do something. Esperanto does not insert an explicit noun directly as the subject of an infinitive after por. Use por ke vi faru, not por vi fari, when you need an unambiguous finite subject in neutral standard prose. The full clause pattern is covered in Purpose Clauses with Por Ke.
Intended use, function, and suitability
With a noun, por can describe what something is designed, reserved, or suitable for.
La supra breto estas por glasoj, ne por pezaj potoj.
The upper shelf is for glasses, not for heavy pots.
Mi serĉas komfortajn ŝuojn por longaj promenoj.
I'm looking for comfortable shoes for long walks.
Ĉi tiu programo estas tro komplika por komencantoj.
This program is too complicated for beginners.
The phrase need not describe anyone's immediate action. A taso por teo is a cup intended for tea; teo en taso is tea actually located in a cup. A medikamento por kapdoloro is intended to treat headaches; kapdoloro pro laceco is a headache caused by fatigue.
With evaluative adjectives, por gives the relevant person, goal, or standard:
La skatolo estas sufiĉe malpeza por infano, sed tro granda por tiu breto.
The box is light enough for a child but too large for that shelf.
This is not an actual recipient relation. The child and shelf define intended capacity or suitability.
Intended role or result
Por can identify the status, use, or result assigned to something.
Ili elektis Markon por prezidanto de la klubo.
They chose Mark as president of the club.
Ni uzis malnovan pordon por provizora tablo.
We used an old door as a temporary table.
This predicative use means “for the role/use of.” In some contexts kiel is also possible, but it frames resemblance or capacity rather than intended appointment. Elekti ŝin por prezidanto appoints her to the role; ŝi parolis kiel prezidanto says she spoke in the capacity or manner of a president.
Price, payment, and exchange
In transactions, por marks what is received in return for money, goods, or an action. It can introduce either side of the exchange depending on sentence structure.
Mi aĉetis la uzitan biciklon por cent kvindek eŭroj.
I bought the used bicycle for one hundred fifty euros.
Kiom vi pagis por la riparo?
How much did you pay for the repair?
La posedanto proponis senpagan loĝadon por kelkaj horoj da helpo ĉiusemajne.
The owner offered free lodging in exchange for a few hours of help each week.
Here por is not causal: the repair does not cause the payment in the grammatical sense; it is what the payment obtains. In a rate, distributive po may accompany por: po tri eŭrojn por kilogramo “three euros per kilogram.” See Money and Prices for number formation and price expressions.
Por versus pro: goal versus cause
This is the most important contrast for English speakers. Por points forward to a desired result; pro points backward to an existing cause or motive.
Mi dankas vin pro la helpo kaj preparas vespermanĝon por vi.
I thank you for the help and am making dinner for you.
The help already happened and motivates the thanks, so pro presents it as the reason. Danki por la helpo is also fully correct and foundational: it construes the thanks as a response or return for the help, almost like payment for a service. Both survive in contemporary Esperanto, with danki pro now very frequent. The dinner, by contrast, is intended for the other person, so por vi marks the beneficiary.
Pro la malvarmo ŝi eniris la kafejon por varmiĝi.
Because of the cold, she entered the café to warm up.
Cold explains the action; warming up is its goal. The distinction is logical, not tied to animate versus inanimate complements. The decision guide Por or Pro gives more borderline cases.
Stance and support
In votes, arguments, and public choices, por means “in favor of” and contrasts with kontraŭ.
Sep membroj voĉdonis por la propono, du kontraŭ ĝi, kaj unu sindetenis.
Seven members voted for the proposal, two against it, and one abstained.
Mi ne estas kontraŭ la ŝanĝo, sed mi ankaŭ ne pretas kampanji por ĝi.
I'm not against the change, but I'm not ready to campaign for it either.
Derived pora and pore occur in compact political or argumentative contrasts (formal), such as poraj kaj kontraŭaj argumentoj, but ordinary por la propono is usually clearer.
Complement form and scope
As a preposition, por takes a noun phrase or pronoun without accusative -n: por la infanoj, por ŝi, por du semajnoj. It also takes an infinitive in the purpose construction. Do not add je; por already expresses the relation.
Placement controls scope. Compare Mi aĉetis por Ana libron pri muziko—Ana is the intended beneficiary—with Mi aĉetis libron por muziko, where the book is presented as serving a musical purpose, an odd meaning unless context supports it. Keep the por phrase close to what it modifies when ambiguity is possible.
Common Mistakes
1. Using por for a circumstance that merely caused the event
❌ Mi restis hejme por la pluvo.
Incorrect for the intended causal meaning — the rain was the reason, not the purpose or thing obtained in exchange.
✅ Mi restis hejme pro la pluvo.
I stayed home because of the rain.
2. Using por for the recipient of an actual transfer
❌ Mi donis la ŝlosilon por la gasto.
Incorrect for an actual handover — por only marks the intended beneficiary.
✅ Mi donis la ŝlosilon al la gasto.
I gave the key to the guest.
3. Giving an infinitive an explicit English-style subject
❌ Mi klarigos ĝin denove por vi kompreni.
Avoid in neutral standard usage — the intended subject should be expressed in a por ke clause.
✅ Mi klarigos ĝin denove, por ke vi komprenu.
I'll explain it again so that you understand.
4. Adding accusative after por
❌ Ĉi tiu donaco estas por mian fratinon.
Incorrect — por already marks the beneficiary.
✅ Ĉi tiu donaco estas por mia fratino.
This gift is for my sister.
Key Takeaways
- Por presents an intended beneficiary, purpose, use, result, role, or side of an exchange.
- Use por + infinitive for a compact purpose and por ke + subject + -u when the purpose clause needs an explicit subject.
- Contrast intended beneficiary por ŝi with actual recipient al ŝi.
- Contrast forward-looking purpose por with explanatory cause pro.
- The complement of por never takes object -n.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Por or Pro?B1 — Choose por for intended goals, beneficiaries, and exchange, and pro for causes, motives, and reasons already producing an effect.
- ProB2 — Use pro for cause and motive, while distinguishing reasons from purposes and recognizing traditional exchange uses.
- AlA2 — Use al for movement toward a goal, recipients, orientation, and abstract targets without adding an unnecessary accusative ending.
- Purpose Clauses with Por KeA2 — Express intended outcomes with por ke and the volitive, and choose correctly between a finite purpose clause and por plus an infinitive.
- Infinitives after PrepositionsA2 — Choose the established preposition-plus-infinitive patterns and replace disfavored combinations with clauses, participles, or action nouns.
- Money and PricesB1 — State prices, values, payments, ranges, discounts, and per-unit rates with correct currency nouns, case, and verb frames.