45 Idiomatic Spanish Expressions Using the Word ‘Por’
Did you know that por is one of the words most frequently used in Spanish expressions? According to RAE (Real Academia Española), por is the 13th most common word in Spanish!
Keep reading to learn the 45 most common Spanish expressions with por. Use them in conversations to sound like a native. You’ll see por expressions for every occasion—expressions of excitement, of surprise, of time, and many others.
What Does Por Mean?
Let’s look at the historical roots of por. It comes from the Latin word “pro” which means “forward” and “per” which means “completely” and “through.” Pro and per are prefixes in words like probabilidad (probability) and perseverancia (perseverance).
In modern Spanish, por expresses movement, transportation, communication, exchanges, duration, reasons, and emotions. It is also present in many idiomatic expressions.
Por is often confused with para, and it’s important to know the difference as both are often translated into English as “for.” Read When to Use Por or Para for a refresher.
Spanish Expressions with por
You don’t need to be a grammar expert to use the following Spanish expressions. Most of them are used daily by native Spanish speakers, so it’s essential to understand and use them in conversation.
Look for por expressions in Spanish books, Spanish movies, Spanish podcasts. Copy the sentences in which they appear, and write a similar sentence of your own.
Check out these 45 Spanish expressions with por. Note that some of the Spanish expressions below are idiomatic, so their literal translation is different from their actual meaning.
1. Dar gato por liebre (take someone for a ride)
Me parece que en la tienda te dieron gato por liebre.
I have the feeling that in the shop they took you for a ride.
2. En un dos por tres (in just a sec, right away)
No te enojes, lo hago en un dos por tres y salimos a cenar.
Don’t be mad, I’ll do it quickly and we will go out for dinner.
3. Gracias por (thank you for)
Gracias por tu ayuda.
Thank you for your help.
4. Hablar por alguien (to speak on behalf of someone)
Hablo por todos mis amigos que piensan igual que yo.
I speak for all my friends who think like me.
5. Palabra por palabra (word for word)
Antes de las copiadoras la gente copiaba textos palabra por palabra.
Before copiers, people copied texts word for word.
6. Poner por las nubes (to praise to the skies)
Las abuelas siempre ponen sus nietos por las nubes.
Grandmothers always praise their grandchildren to the skies.
7. Por adelantado (in advance)
Necesito pagar por el libro en adelantado para que me lo envíen.
I need to pay for the book in advance to have it shipped to me.
8. Por ahora (so far, for the time being, for now)
Por ahora no me sé mucho español pero estoy estudiando.
So far I don’t know much Spanish but I’m studying.
9. Por allá / por allí / por ahí (around there)
La escuela de idiomas está por ahí.
The language school is over there.
10. Por amor de Dios (for the love of God)
Por amor de Dios, ¿qué comiste que te manchaste tanto?
For the love of God, what did you eat that stained your clothes so much?
11. Por aquel entonces (at that time)
Por aquel entonces todos estuvimos de acuerdo con el cambio.
At that time, everybody agreed with the change.
12. Por aquí (around here / this way)
No sé dónde están mis lentes pero tienen que estar por aquí.
I don’t know where my glasses are but they must be somewhere around here.
13. Por casualidad (by chance)
¿Por casualidad no tendrás 10 pesos que me prestes?
By any chance don’t you have 10 pesos that you can lend me?
14. Por ciento (percent)
40 por ciento de los estudiantes de primaria no saben leer con comprensión.
40 percent of primary school students cannot read with comprehension.
15. Por completo (completely, absolutely)
Tuvimos que actualizar el sistema que utilizamos por complete.
We had to completely update the system we use.
16. Por consecuencia (consequently)
Por consecuencia, los directores adoptaron las siguientes medidas.
Consequently, the directors took the following actions.
17. Por correo / teléfono / internet (by mail / phone / online)
Compré el libro por internet.
I bought the book online.
18. Por culpa de (due to)
Por culpa de tu primo no nos quieren dejar entrar.
Due to your cousin, they don’t want to let us in.
19. Por dentro (inside)
Sonríe pero por dentro se siente muy triste.
He smiles but inside he feels sad.
20. Por desgracia (unfortunately)
Por desgracia no pudimos terminar la tarea a tiempo.
Unfortunately, we were unable to finish the assignment on time.
21. Por Dios (oh my God, for heaven’s sake)
Por Dios, déjate de tonterías y empieza a estudiar.
For heaven’s sake, stop fooling around and start studying.
22. Por ejemplo (for example)
Por ejemplo, podrías ayudar a tu hermana a limpiar el cuarto.
For example, you could help your sister to clean the room.
23. Por escrito (in writing)
¿Me lo puedes poner por escrito para tener una prueba?
Can you write it for me to have proof?
24. Por eso (therefore, that’s why)
Y por eso no me gustan las zanahorias.
And therefore, I don’t like carrots.
25. Por favor (please)
¿Me ayudas por favor?
Can you help me, please?
26. Por fin (finally, at last)
¡Por fin te atreviste a venir!
You finally dared to come!
27. Por la mañana / tarde / noche (in the morning / afternoon / evening / at night)
A veces estudio por la mañana y trabajo por la trade.
I sometimes study in the morning and work in the afternoon.
28. Por las buenas o por las malas (whether you like it or not)
Te lo vas a comer por las buenas o por las malas.
You’ll eat it whether you like it or not.
29. Por lo demás (otherwise, moreover)
Por lo demás, no puedes entrar aquí con esa ropa.
Otherwise, you can’t come in here in those clothes.
30. Por lo general (generally, in general)
Por lo general me gusta estar aquí.
In general, I like being here.
31. Por lo menos (at least)
Por lo menos esfuérzate.
At least put forth some effort.
32. Por lo mismo (for that reason, consequently)
Por lo mismo, tienes que inscribirte a tiempo.
For that reason, you register on time.
33. Por lo que a mí me toca (as far as I’m concerned)
Por lo que a mí me toca, no tienes que hacerlo.
As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to do it.
34. Por lo que he oído (judging by what I’ve heard)
Por lo que he oído no es nada difícil conseguir la beca.
From what I’ve heard it’s not that difficult to get the grant.
35. Por lo tanto (therefore)
Y por lo tanto tienes que devolverle el dinero.
And therefore you have to give her back the money.
36. Por lo visto (apparently)
Por lo visto iba demasiado rápido y por eso se cayó.
Apparently, he was walking too fast and that’s why he fell.
37. Por los pelos (barely)
Pasé el examen por los pelos.
I barely passed the exam.
38. Por muy malo que sea (however bad it is)
Por muy malo que sea el gobierno hay que respetar las leyes.
No matter how bad the government is, you have to respect the laws.
39. Por mi parte (for my part)
Por mi parte no hay ningún problems.
For my part, there’s no issue.
40. Por ningún lado (nowhere)
¿Has visto mis llaves? No las encuentro por ningún lado.
Have you seen my keys? I can’t find them anywhere.
41. Por poco (almost)
Por poco perdemos el avión.
We almost missed the plane.
42. Por primera / última vez (for the first / last time)
Por primera vez no le tengo miedo a un examen.
For the first time, I am not afraid of an exam.
43. ¿Por qué? Porque … (why? because…)
¿Por qué no me contestaste? Porque tenía el teléfono en silencio.
Why didn’t you answer? Because my phone was in a silent mood.
44. Por separado (separately)
Les hablamos a cada uno por separado.
We talked to each one of them separately.
45. Por si acaso (just in case)
Comprátelo por si acaso.
Buy it just in case.
Spanish Por Expressions Quiz
1. A Spanish expression that means to trick somebody is:
2. The por expression that means “for that reason” is
3. What would you say in Spanish if you did something “just in case”
4. What’s the Spanish idiomatic expression that means “very quickly”?
5. Translate this sentence: I almost believed her.
6. Translate this sentence: Oh my God, what have you done!
7. Translate this sentence: You can’t see it but inside he feels devastated.
8. Translate this sentence: Unfortunately, I can’t help you.
9. Translate this sentence: Why did you do it?
10. Translate this sentence: It was nowhere to be found.
How did it go? If you feel like doing more exercises with por expressions, check out Por y Para exercises for intermediate Spanish learners.
Y Por Último, Give Your Spanish a Boost!
Well done! I can see that you’re determined to reach fluency in Spanish and become fully bilingual. And then… the world is yours! Did you know that simply by knowing one foreign language your salary can grow significantly? According to The Economist, a person can earn anywhere from $50,000 to $125,000 extra!
If you want to give your Spanish a boost and practice por expressions in one-to-one conversations, sign up for a free trial class with one of our native, Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala.
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