Learn Spanish (Latin America): Siempre corro por esta ruta.

Siempre corro por esta ruta.

I always run along this route.

Breakdown of Siempre corro por esta ruta.

for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)

Questions & Answers about Siempre corro por esta ruta.

Why do we use por here instead of para?

In this sentence, por shows movement along or through a physical space. If you used para, it would mean you are running toward the route as a final destination, rather than running along it.

Could por esta ruta also mean "because of this route"?

Grammatically, yes! Since por can also mean "because of" or "due to", this phrase could technically mean you run because of the route. However, with a motion verb like correr (to run), native speakers will almost always assume por means "along" or "through".

Wait, doesn't está mean "is"? Why does it mean "this" here?

You are thinking of está with an accent mark, which comes from the verb estar (to be). Without the accent mark, esta is the feminine word meaning "this", which matches the feminine noun ruta.

Why is it esta ruta and not esto ruta?

Ruta is a feminine noun, so it needs the feminine word for "this", which is esta. You only use esto when you are talking about a general idea, an entire situation, or an unknown object, and it is never placed directly in front of a noun.