por
/poɾ/
The Spanish word for 'per' is por.
The preposition por is used to express a rate or ratio, equivalent to the English 'per'. For example, you can use por día for 'per day', por semana for 'per week' and por mes for 'per month'. It is also used for measurements such as por kilogramo (per kilogram) and por litro (per liter), or to indicate a distribution like por persona (per person).
Meaning: for each (prep)
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, por is used in the phrase por huevos, a vulgar way to say something must be done 'just because' or by force.
- While por is used for rates, Spanish often uses a instead when stating a specific price, such as dos euros a kilo instead of por kilo.
- In Spanish, you can use por to express that you are doing something por amor al arte, which means doing it for the love of art or for free.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuánto te pagan por mes?How much do you get paid per month?This example shows how to ask about payment frequency using por.Tatoeba #12930913 by ecorralest101, translation #12586360 by CK
- No estoy cien por cien seguro.I'm not a hundred per cent sure.This example uses por to express a percentage.Tatoeba #12193498 by loqu84, translation #10816710 by sundown
- El tren iba a 500 millas por hora.The train was going 500 miles per hour.This example uses por to express a speed rate.Tatoeba #1841385 by marcelostockle, translation #1426016 by CK
- El precio es de $5 por unidad.The price is $5 per unit.
- La tarifa es de $10 cada hora.The rate is $10 per hour.
- Tienes que pagar $2 por cada cerveza.You have to pay $2 per beer.
- La propina es de $5 a cada camarero.The tip is $5 per waiter.
- Hay que comprar dos boletos, cada uno a $10.We need to buy two tickets, each one for $10.
- por cadaFor each
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are discussing the price of fruit at a market.
- AlejandroEstas manzanas son muy caras.These apples are very expensive.
- MaríaCuestan tres euros por kilo.They cost three euros per kilo.
- AlejandroSolo quiero comprar uno.I only want to buy one.
- MaríaEntonces paga el precio por unidad.Then pay the price per unit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “per” translations and entries por, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
