Portuguese Prepositions 'Para' vs. 'A': Know When to Use Either

Language learners often struggle to discern between the prepositions a and para, especially when both are used as prepositions of movement.

So, what’s the difference between the Portuguese prepositions a and para?

The preposition a suggests a round-trip movement with a relatively short stay at the destination. Para on the other hand implies a one-way motion and, consequently, a longer stay at the place of arrival.

Here’s a simple example:

(1) Eu vou a Portugal de férias. Fico lá duas semanas.
I am going to Portugal for the holidays. I’ll stay there for two weeks.

(2) Eu vou para Portugal. Arranjei lá um emprego.
I am going to Portugal. I got a job there.

As you can see above, the first sentence suggests a relatively short stay compared to the second. Also, the first sentence lends itself well to the notion of a 2-way movement as opposed to the unidirectional motion suggested by the last one.

Now, what constitutes a short or long stay is, of course, relative to the context. Look at this second example:

(1) Eu vou ao restaurante. Estou farto de comer em casa.
I am going to the restaurant. I am tired of eating at home.

(2) Eu vou para o restaurante. Hoje, faço o turno das 9h às 15h.
I am going to the restaurant. Today, I am doing the 9 a.m. – 3 a.m. shift.

Now we have a different time frame. Still, within this context, you can discern between the shorter stay of the guest in sentence 1 and the longer stay of the cook in sentence 2.

This time-frame nuance is, I believe, what most confuses language learners. Besides, these prepositions are used beyond denoting movement. Read on.

Bread & Butter of Portuguese Prepositions

The BIG 5

Learn more about other Portuguese prepositions: Portuguese Prepositions and Their Contractions: An In-Depth Usage Rundown.

a

The preposition a is a preposition of movement as we’ve seen above. Additionally, a is also used as a preposition of time and place.

Let’s start by taking a look at its contractions.

Contractions

This preposition merges with definite articles and a few demonstratives starting with a.

a + definite articles

definite articles	o	a	os	as
*contracted forms*	ao (a + o)	à (a + a)	aos (a + os)	às (a + as)

a + demonstratives

Besides definite articles, a combines with those demonstratives that start with a:

that over there	aquilo	aquele/s	aquela/s
*contracted forms*	àquilo (a + aquilo)	àquele/s (a + aquele/s)	àquela/s (a + aquela/s)

Learn more about Portuguese demonstratives: Portuguese Demonstrative Pronouns and Determiners.

Usage

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