per / per a (usos bàsics)

Basic Uses of Per and Per a

Level 2

Per often marks route or cause; per a marks a recipient or intended use.

How It Works

Passem per Girona gives the route, while ho faig per tu can mean I do it for your sake or because of you. A recipient is clear in aquest paquet és per a tu. Before a noun, per a is a useful shared formal way to express destination or intended use.

A route answers through where: passem pel túnel. A cause explains why: tremola de fred or ho fa per por use the constructions associated with those meanings. Per also occurs for means, as in parlem per telèfon. A recipient or intended destination is clear with per a: una carta per a l'Anna.

Do not decide from English for alone: for fear and for Anna have different roles. In writing, keep the a in per al curs when intended use is meant. Regional spoken patterns vary; this entry teaches clear contrasts shared by careful written usage.

Examples (3)

  1. Parlem per telèfon cada setmana.

    We talk on the phone every week.

  2. Aquest missatge és per a la directora.

    This message is for the director.

  3. Entrem pel jardí.

    We enter through the garden.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

per / per a (usos bàsics)Level 2Basic Uses of Per and Per a

Learn This First

Distinguish route, cause and recipient meanings.

Words in This Pattern