Por, Para and the Personal A

Prepositions: Por and Para

In Spanish, two frequently confused prepositions are por and para, both of which can be translated as ‘for’.
Por is used in several scenarios. These include reasons or motives, for example: Estoy aquí por ti (I am here for you); means of communication or transportation, as in Voy a la escuela por el bus (I go to school by bus); part of the day, Estudio por la mañana (I study in the morning).
Para is used for purposes or goals, for instance: Estudia para aprender (He studies to learn); recipient of something, like in Este regalo es para ti (This gift is for you); deadlines, El trabajo es para mañana (The work is for tomorrow).
A trick to remember when to use por and para: the latter can be translated as ‘in order to’ or ‘for the purpose of’, whenever this translation makes logical sense in English, use para.

The Personal A

In Spanish, the personal a is used when the direct object of a sentence is a specific person or group of people. It is unique to Spanish and has no direct translation in English.
The personal a is used regardless of the tense, person, or number of verb in a sentence.
Using personal a is required in sentences such as Veo a Maria (I see Maria) versus Veo el libro (I see the book); note how the personal a is not used with objects.
There are exceptions to the personal a rule, such as indefinite individuals, or when using the verb tener. E.g. there’s no personal a in Necesito profesor de español (I need a Spanish teacher).
Another exception comes when referring to pets or personal named domestic animals, where the personal a is employed: Ana busca a su perro Fido (Ana is looking for her dog Fido). But, with unnamed or non-pet animals, personal a is not used: Veo un perro (I see a dog).

Don’t forget to always be mindful of context to make the correct choice between por, para and the use of personal a.