The preposition para is the Portuguese tool for purpose, destination with a sense of permanence, recipient, deadline, and comparison. Where English often uses for, to, or in order to, Portuguese uses para. It is also half of the classic para versus por pair that gives learners trouble — a topic this page addresses head-on.
Unlike de, em, and a, the preposition para does not contract with articles in writing. You always write para o, para a, para os, para as, para um, and so on. In speech, Portuguese speakers often reduce para to the casual form pra, but this reduction is not accepted in formal writing.
Destination: movement to stay
Use para when the movement implies going to stay, to live, to work, or to remain for an extended period.
No mês que vem, vou para o Porto — arranjei trabalho numa agência lá.
Next month I'm moving to Porto — I got a job at an agency there.
Os meus pais foram para o Algarve na reforma e estão felicíssimos.
My parents moved to the Algarve for retirement and they're thrilled.
Ela vai para Londres tirar um mestrado de dois anos.
She's going to London for a two-year master's degree.
Each of those sentences implies that the speaker is settling in — not just dropping by. Contrast this with a:
Fui ao Porto num fim de semana em fevereiro.
I went to Porto for a weekend in February.
Vou para o Porto no mês que vem — mudanças, arrumações, tudo.
I'm moving to Porto next month — packing, moving, the whole thing.
Native speakers do not always apply this rule with surgical precision. In fast speech, you will hear vou para Lisboa used for any trip, especially if the speaker is about to leave. But the canonical distinction is real, and in careful writing, para signals length of stay while a signals a visit.
Going home
The expression ir para casa (to go home) always uses para, not a. This is a frozen phrase that captures the idea of going to the place where you belong and will stay.
Já é tarde, vou para casa.
It's late, I'm heading home.
Quando ele chegou a Lisboa, foi logo para casa.
When he got to Lisbon, he went straight home.
A learner who says vou a casa sounds unnatural. It should always be para casa.
Purpose: in order to
Para before an infinitive expresses purpose — the English in order to or simply to. This is one of the most common uses and turns up in nearly every paragraph of real Portuguese.
Estudei muito para passar no exame.
I studied hard in order to pass the exam.
Preciso de óculos novos para ler.
I need new glasses to read.
Ela ligou para te perguntar pela tua mãe.
She called to ask about your mother.
When the action expressed after para has a different subject from the main clause, Portuguese uses its signature construction: para + personal infinitive. The infinitive takes a personal ending that marks whose purpose it is.
Deixei a porta aberta para vocês entrarem sem tocar.
I left the door open for you to come in without ringing.
Os pais fazem sacrifícios para os filhos estudarem.
Parents make sacrifices so that their children can study.
This is the personal infinitive in action — one of the most elegant features of Portuguese grammar. See the dedicated personal infinitive page for the full treatment.
Purpose of a thing
Para also tells you what something is for — its function, its intended use.
Estes copos são para vinho, não para água.
These glasses are for wine, not for water.
Isto não é para comer, é para decorar a mesa.
This isn't for eating, it's for decorating the table.
Recipient: the person something is for
When something is meant for someone — a gift, a message, a service — the recipient is introduced by para.
Comprei este livro para o meu pai, ele adora história.
I bought this book for my father, he loves history.
Tenho uma surpresa para ti, vais gostar.
I have a surprise for you, you'll like it.
Estas flores são para a minha avó, faz anos hoje.
These flowers are for my grandmother, it's her birthday today.
There is a subtle overlap here with the indirect object marker a. Para emphasizes benefit or intended destination; a is the pure grammatical indirect object.
- Dei o livro ao João. — I gave the book to João. (João is the grammatical receiver.)
- Comprei o livro para o João. — I bought the book for João. (João is the beneficiary.)
The verb matters. Dar, dizer, escrever, mostrar take a because the recipient is a core argument of the verb. Comprar, fazer, trazer, preparar more often take para because the recipient is a beneficiary added on to the action.
Deadline: by when
Para introduces a deadline — the time by which something needs to be done.
Preciso desta tradução pronta para amanhã de manhã.
I need this translation ready for tomorrow morning.
O jantar fica pronto para as oito.
Dinner will be ready by eight.
Os planos para o ano que vem já estão todos traçados.
The plans for next year are all laid out.
This is cleanly different from em, which says how long from now something will happen (estou aí em dez minutos — I'll be there in ten minutes). Para marks the endpoint, the deadline; em marks the duration of the wait.
Comparison: relative to
A very useful pattern: X para Y introduces a comparison meaning given Y, for a Y, or relative to Y. This is the Portuguese for in phrases like tall for her age.
Para uma criança de cinco anos, ele é muito alto.
For a five-year-old, he's really tall.
Está frio para junho, não está?
It's cold for June, isn't it?
Não é mau para um primeiro dia de trabalho.
Not bad for a first day at work.
Opinion: according to
Para also introduces an opinion, paralleling the English for me, as far as I'm concerned.
Para mim, este é o melhor restaurante da cidade.
For me, this is the best restaurant in town.
Para nós, a questão é clara: temos de aceitar a proposta.
For us, the issue is clear: we have to accept the proposal.
This is subtly different from segundo (according to), which is used for reporting what someone else thinks. Para is first-person opinion; segundo is someone else's view.
Countdown to clock time
For times like it's quarter to five, Portuguese uses para.
Faltam dez minutos para as cinco.
It's ten minutes to five.
Falta um quarto para as três.
It's a quarter to three.
The construction is faltam [minutes] para as [hour] — literally [minutes] are missing for the [hour].
Colloquial reduction: pra
In fast everyday speech, Portuguese speakers routinely reduce para to pra. You will hear it constantly in conversation.
Vou pra casa agora, até amanhã.
I'm off home now, see you tomorrow. (spoken/informal)
Isto é pra ti.
This is for you. (spoken/informal)
Further reductions happen too: pró (= para o), prà (= para a). These are standard in speech but should not appear in formal writing. In email to a colleague you would write para o and para a; in a text to a friend, pró and prà are fine.
Para versus por
The classic Portuguese headache. Para and por both translate to English for, and both can introduce the person or thing involved in an action, but they do very different things.
- Para = destination, benefit, purpose, deadline.
- Por = cause, agent, exchange, manner, movement through.
Look at the contrast directly:
| Por (cause / agent / exchange) | Para (purpose / benefit / destination) |
|---|---|
| Fi-lo por ti. | Fi-lo para ti. |
| (I did it because of you.) | (I did it for you — your benefit.) |
| Viajo por Portugal. | Viajo para Portugal. |
| (I travel through Portugal.) | (I'm heading to Portugal.) |
| Paguei dez euros pelo livro. | Comprei o livro para a biblioteca. |
| (I paid ten euros for the book — exchange.) | (I bought the book for the library — destination.) |
Estudo português por curiosidade e para um dia viver em Lisboa.
I study Portuguese out of curiosity, and in order to live in Lisbon one day.
That single sentence crystallizes the distinction: por curiosidade is the cause (why I started), para viver is the purpose (what I'm aiming at).
A useful mental test: if you can substitute because of or on behalf of in English, it's por. If you can substitute in order to or intended for, it's para.
Common mistakes
❌ Este presente é por ti.
Incorrect — benefit takes para, not por.
✅ Este presente é para ti.
This gift is for you.
❌ Comprei o livro por ler no comboio.
Incorrect — purpose takes para + infinitive.
✅ Comprei o livro para ler no comboio.
I bought the book to read on the train.
❌ Vou a Lisboa para sempre.
Usually incorrect — permanent move takes para, not a.
✅ Vou para Lisboa — mudo-me para lá em maio.
I'm moving to Lisbon — I'm relocating there in May.
❌ Vou a casa.
Incorrect — *going home* is a fixed phrase with para.
✅ Vou para casa.
I'm going home.
❌ Estou para casa em dez minutos.
Incorrect — duration-until-arrival takes em.
✅ Estou em casa em dez minutos.
I'll be home in ten minutes.
Key takeaways
- Para marks purpose, destination (with a sense of staying), recipient, deadline, comparison, and opinion.
- Para does not contract with articles in writing — always para o, para a, etc.
- Colloquial pra (and further reductions pró, prà) are common in speech but unacceptable in formal writing.
- Ir para casa is the fixed phrase for going home.
- Para mim, para ti, para ele introduce personal opinions.
- Para vs. por: para is purpose and benefit; por is cause and exchange.
That completes the four workhorse prepositions of Portuguese. Return to the overview to see where each one fits in the broader system, or reinforce specific uses with de, em, and a.
Related Topics
- Portuguese Prepositions OverviewA1 — Introduction to Portuguese prepositions and their uses, including the obligatory contractions that set European Portuguese apart.
- The Preposition deA1 — Uses of the preposition de — origin, possession, material, partitives, time, and the verbs that require it.
- The Preposition emA1 — Uses of the preposition em — static location, time, and state — and why Portuguese uses de (not em) for transport.
- The Preposition aA1 — Uses of the preposition a — direction, indirect objects, time, manner, and the crucial PT-PT até ao construction.