Mixing Up Por and Para

The two prepositions por and para usually mean for, but in a few cases may have other
meanings. This has puzzled and frustrated Spanish students forever. Even advanced students have
a tendency to confuse them sometimes. Here’s a rundown of the most common rules for their
usage:
You use por
_ To express the preposition through:
Anduve por el bosque. (I walked through the forest.)
_ To express the duration of an action:
Estudié por dos horas. (I studied for two hours.)
_ To express a means of transportation:
Viajaron por avión. (They traveled by airplane.)
_ To express doing something for someone:
Lo hizo por su mejor amigo. (He did it for his best friend.)
_ To perform multiplication:
Dos por dos son cuatro. (Two times two is four.)
You use para to express
_ A recipient:
Esta carta es para Ud. (This letter is for you.)
_ A purpose or a goal:
Leo para relajarme. (I read [in order] to relax.)
_ A time in the future:
Es el horario para mañana. (It’s tomorrow’s schedule.)
_ An opinion:
Para mí, esta casa es perfecta. (For me, this house is perfect.)
_ A destination:
Ella va para la oficina. (She’s heading for the office.)
Subjunctive